My Thoughts You Can't Decode
by theraggedypond
Summary: He's quiet. She speaks her mind. He shows no emotion. She isn't afraid to express how she feels. These polar opposites have one thing in common. Their thoughts are unreadable, cannot be decoded. Mori and Haruhi fanfic.WARNING: Dark chapters torwards end.
1. A New Member

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Ouran Host Club. If I did, there would be yaoi couples and MORIXHARUHI! Never, ever, ever, Morixhuni. EVER.

* * *

_**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**_

**A New Member**

The boy sighed dejectedly. Shutting yet another door, he shuffled down the long hallway. At this rate, he'd never get to study. "Damn these rich people," he muttered irritably. "Isn't the point of a library to study?" That may have been true at other schools, normal schools. But, this boy was trapped in Ouran Academy, a big step up from normal high schools.

A private school for the super rich, it seemed like more of a social gathering. This boy was not super rich. He wasn't even kinda rich. In fact, he was the poorest person to have ever walked these prestigious halls. Aside from just studying, what the boy really wanted was to be alone. He stuck out like a sore thumb at this school.

The boy looked insanely out of place with his baggy shirt, over-sized glasses, and scruffy hair. Students here wore uniforms worth 300,000 yen. That was more than his dad made in a year. The boy was Haruhi Fujioka, and the truth was, he was a girl. Her father, Ranka, as he preferred, was a transvestite. Meaning he liked to wear women's clothing instead of men's. He even looked like a woman to most people he met. Hell, sometimes he even fooled his own daughter!

To support them, Ranka worked at a bar with other cross-dressers. The money was decent enough to pay for rent and food. Dad had to work at night mostly, so Haruhi took up the household chores and cooking. She soon grew used to being alone. It made her strong and independent.

Her mother, Kotoko, had died when Haruhi had been five years old. She had been a beautiful woman, a great lawyer, a perfect wife, and a loving mother. Haruhi remembered a flashback from when she was very small. She remembered standing outside the crematorium, holding her father's hand. "So, I'm not gonna see Mommy anymore?" she had asked. Ranka, who still wore men's clothing then, had squeezed her little hand tightly.

Through middle school, Haruhi's appearance was like that of a girl. Her hair had been dark, very long and very straight. She'd had contacts, and was biologically registered a girl. At Ouran, she was one too, but no one needed to know that. If they thought she was a weird commoner boy, they'd leave her alone. That was all right with her.

Haruhi had always studied hard, with very few friends. Her goal was to become a lawyer, for her mother's sake. Wanting to go to law school, she knew Ouran was the next step. Ranka couldn't afford the tuition money, and Haruhi couldn't get it all saved up. She needed a scholarship, and practically lived and breathed studying to get it. Haruhi had been very relieved when she'd gotten her acceptance letter. Ranka had cried.

Then, the day before her new high school life began, her contacts had been lost and her hair gone. A neighborhood kid had managed to get gum in it, God knows how. Haruhi was a lazy girl, and had absolutely no desire to spend HOURS getting it out. So, _snip snip snip_, went the scissors and off went her hair. Now, it was about the length of a boy's.

Ranka had been livid when he got home. Afterwards, when the shock set it, he crumbled into dramatic sobs and whimpers. And when he saw what clothes she would wear, the poor man fainted dead away in the kitchen. "Haruhi, why?" he whimpered. "You were so pretty honey!" The brunette had ignored him, shuffling on her merry way to school.

And now, here she was. Trapped in a rich person's school, and nowhere to study. Haruhi was so tired; she just wanted to go home. She decided to have one more try at a study room. Maybe she could sleep in there, too. Another door loomed before her. Haruhi pressed her ear to the door. _'I don't hear anyone.' _She silently rejoiced. _'Mom.' _She thought to her deceased mother. _'I've found a place to study!' _

Haruhi grasped the door handle.

The door slowly opened to reveal…

* * *

Six gorgeous guys in a shower of rose petals. "Welcome!" they chorused.

The door shut with an ominous _click. _Haruhi retreated against it, fumbling for the handle. _'They're all so cute!' _she thought. _'What the hell are they doing in here anyway?'_

"Oh, look." Two orange-haired boys said, "It's a boy." The way they leaned against each other showed a deep personal bond. _'They must be twins.' _Haruhi scrambled for her thoughts to clear. "And the scholarship student, no less." A bespectacled brunette affirmed. '_Okay, HE just looks EVIL.' _Haruhi's movements for the doorknob were more frantic.

A tall blonde skipped up to her. His violet eyes seemed care-free and ridiculously goofy. "Who knew the new scholarship student," he whispered, tilting her chin up, "Was gay?"

"Wait, WHAT?" Haruhi got her voice back, slapping his hand away. The blonde froze and ran off to a corner, which had suddenly turned dark and foreboding. _'Was it something I said?' _Haruhi sweat dropped. "Nice job." The two doppelgangers said, sneaking up behind her. "Yeah, no one's ever upset Tono so quickly before." One said, smiling at her.

"I'm Hikaru." The other said, winking at her. "And I'm Kaoru." The one that smiled at her said back.

"Who are you guys?" Haruhi choked out, shocked at their closeness. "We're the Ouran Host Club, at your service." They all said in unison. Rose petals blew around the room again. The evil-looking brunette looked at her from his chair. "And you're Haruhi Fujioka." He stated matter-of-factly, closing his laptop. "I'm Kyouya Ootori. You might know my name from several of my family's hospitals around Japan." He pushed up his glasses, and they flashed menacingly. "As you can imagine, I have a lot of pull here."

Haruhi gulped. _'So evil. What is this guy capable of?'_

"A lot." Kyouya answered. She froze, terrified. '_HE CAN READ MINDS TOO?'_

"How do you know my-" Haruhi was cut short by a flying figure. "Haru-chaaaaaan!" a short blonde yelled, latching on to her arm. He spun her around with surprising strength for a little kid. _'What the…..'_ "Do you wanna have some cake with me?" The child's eyes sparkled as he held a stuffed bunny. "Wait, what's your name?" she asked. Then she yelled, "And who you calling Haru-chan?" The boy's eyes watered and he looked down.

"Ummmmmm…" she struggled for words. A dark shadow suddenly loomed over her. A tall, well-built brunette boy looked down on her, his eyes unreadable. "Gah!" Her eyes grew big. Haruhi panicked. _'Is this that kid's bodyguard?' _

"Eh, um, of course I'd like some cake!" she smiled, biting back a nervous laugh. "YAY!" the little boy jumped at her again, hugging her with as much strength as before. "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can just call me Hani-sempai, 'kay?" He beamed at her with big golden eyes. "Okay?"

Hani giggled, spinning her around the room. His weird shadow followed them. Haruhi made a mental note to watch him. Then everything faded into slow motion. A banana peel lay on the ground, unbeknownst to Hani and Haruhi. Hani's foot slipped, and his face slipped into a worried frown. In his surprise, the senior let go of Haruhi's hands, and she flew across the room, alarmed. Everyone, except Kyouya, gasped. He just sat there, typing away on his PineApple.

(A/N: I'm sorry, but I LOVE making Kyouya seem evil! XD)

An agonizing crash, then the sound of breaking china. On instinct, Haruhi flung out her arms for protection. Sharp pain radiated from her hands to her wrists. Her glasses fell off. "Haruhi!" the twins ran over to her, "Are you okay?" Concerned fell upon their mischievous faces. The violet-eyed boy returned from his corner of woe. "My dear, Haruhi, are you all right?" he whispered. Hani sped over, pushing everyone out of the way.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan, I'm so sorry!" he cried, tears spilling over. "Here," Hani sniffled, "You can hold Usa-chan!" He held out his prized stuffed animal. The only one who hadn't moved in this incident was Kyouya. "I've decided," Haruhi mumbled, "I'm gonna call him the Shadow King from now on." Hikaru and Kaoru looked at her, and

then fell backwards, laughing manically. Even the flaunty blonde chuckled a little.

Kyouya didn't stop typing. "Mori-sempai?" he said offhandedly, "Take Miss Fujioka into the other room." Suddenly, Haruhi was in the air, in the arms of the tall, straight-faced man. "Ha!" she gasped. "I-I can walk!" Haruhi protested, blushing. "Mori-sempai, right?" He nodded. Mori carried her into another room.

* * *

Kyouya turned towards the other hosts in the room. His laptop shut with a menacing _snap. _"So_…." _He whispered, every word radiating evil, " I'm the Shadow King, am I?" The twins and the blonde stopped laughing. "Well, then….." the Shadow King said, rising from his chair. "I should live up to my name, shouldn't I?" The three hosts turned white. Hani, who saw the black aura around Kyouya in advance, retreated to a table in the corner, and was now eating cake with Usa-chan. "This is fun, huh?" Hani smiled, talking to the stuffed rabbit.

* * *

Sitting her on a stool, Mori rooted around for a first aid kit. Haruhi just stared at her hands, ignoring the screams of terror outside the door. Mori soon sat down next to her, holding tweezers and bandages. "Give me your hands." Haruhi jumped. _'He can speak!' _

Haruhi placed her hands in the taller boy's lap. Mori looked at her, with indifferent eyes of grey. "This may hurt a little." Haruhi braced herself, shutting her eyes. Nothing happened. She opened one eye. A piece of glass lay on the floor next to Mori. "That was nothing!" She giggled, proud of her pain tolerance. The glass shards slowly began to pile up. Haruhi stared at Mori, determined to find an emotion. _'He's so gentle for someone his size.' _Haruhi found her self thinking. _'I wonder if he's always like this.'_

"So, you're a girl, right?" Mori suddenly said nonchalantly. "What?" she jumped just as Mori pulled on a glass shard. It dug deeper into her palm. She hissed in pain. "How did you know that?" she whispered urgently. Mori surprised her by looking up into her eyes. "No boy has eyes like that." For a moment, she detected something like gentleness in his grey eyes, but it disappeared quickly. She blushed, and looked away from his eyes. _'What?' _she cursed her self. _'Why am I blushing? If any guy had complimented me, this would not be my reaction.' _Haruhi breathed slowly out. _'But this __is __a regular guy, so that explains it.' _

"What did I break out there?" she inquired as he bandaged her hands. "A vase worth eight million yen." Haruhi jumped up, pulling her hands from Mori's lap. "EIGHT MILLION YEN?" she shrieked. Mori nodded, unfazed from her reaction. Haruhi sighed, and sat down again. "Sorry sempai." She sat back down. "I just don't have that kind of money." She laughed bitterly. "My dad doesn't even make an eighth of that."

Mori grunted, a lost response. Haruhi stood up, and opened the door. She was shocked by the scene before her.

* * *

The music room had turned black. Utterly, horribly, pitch black. A streak of thunder raced through the room, illuminating everything and making Haruhi scream. She was so afraid of lightning. Mori looked at her, a protective look coming on to his face. "Haruhi?"

"It's nothing, sempai; I'm just gonna go find the door now." Mori looked around for his cousin. "Mitsukuni!" he yelled. "Takashi!" the boy Lolita yelled, running for his cousin.

"I'm scared!" he wailed. Mori picked him up, and grabbed Haruhi too. "What happened to this place?" Haruhi yelled, looking at Hani. "Kyou-chan got angry at the nickname you gave him, and decided to give Tama-chan and Hika-chan and Kao-chan why he should live up to his name." Hani spoke in a rush. "And then the room got dark, and I pounded on the door, but no one heard me!" Mori sweat dropped, looking extremely guilty. _'Mitsukuni, I've failed you.' _Mori thought silently.

Mori looked at the girl squished to his side. Thunder crackled again, and she jumped. Her big brown eyes were frightened. Mori suddenly felt a rush of protection over this girl. _'I'd want to protect anyone in this situation.' _He thought, banishing unwelcome ideas.

Suddenly, the room cleared and returned to its normal color. Haruhi stopped trembling and looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes. Mori leaned down, offering her a tissue. "Thanks, Mori-sempai." She said thickly, dabbing her eyes. Kyouya walked up to them slowly. _'Where did he come from?' _Mori thought, suppressing a shiver. The Shadow King was full of surprises. "Ah, Haruhi, Mori-sempai, Hani-sempai, there you are." He straightened his glasses.

"K-Kyouya-sempai, what happened?" Haruhi tried to keep her voice from trembling. "I had to show Tamaki and the twins why I was called the Shadow King." He smiled evilly. "Now, what to do about you, Miss Fujioka?" Haruhi gulped. "You did break an eight million yen vase." He thoughtfully tapped his chin. "I know."

He gestured all around the Music Room. "Starting today, Miss Fujioka, you are a host!"

Haruhi sweat dropped. "WHAT?" Tamaki and the twins materialized suddenly, limping slightly. "Yes, Haruhi, you are a host starting today!" The twins leaned against her, staring her down. "But of course, you'll have to keep your gender a secret." Hani jumped up, looking at her. "Otherwise, you can't pay off your debt!" Mori just nodded. "But, but….." Haruhi sighed. _'All I wanted was a place to study.' _

Tamaki snapped his fingers. "Hikaru, Kaoru." They snapped to attention, arms raised in a salute. "Yes, sir!" Without a word, they grabbed Haruhi and raced towards the dressing rooms. "Kyouya!" He gulped. "M-My stylist, please." Kyouya smirked. "You got it." Finally, he pointed at Mori. "Mori-sempai, get some contacts!" The stoic host nodded.

"Tama-chan, Tama-chan, what can I do?" Hani's eyes sparkled, eager to help. "Hani-sempai!" His eyes brightened. "Yes, sir!" Tamaki thought for a moment. "You…" he walked off, "Go eat some cake." Hani whimpered, dragging himself to his table. "It's just you and me, Usa-chan." He said dejectedly to his bunny, "Everyone else is busy." He sighed.

* * *

Haruhi slowly inched her way out of the dressing room. The whole Host Club was there. That made it all the more embarrassing. She had been totally pimped out. (A/N: Sorry. I had to. :D) Her hair had been professionally styled, contacts put in, and she'd been forced to put on a snooty, rich-kid uniform. She hated to admit it, but she felt that she looked good. She was approachable, at least.

Everyone except Mori and Kyouya moved towards her. She was enveloped in hugs and snuggles. Haruhi couldn't breathe. She looked for help. Haruhi knew that Kyouya wouldn't do anything. "Mori-sempai!" she cried to the stoic host. "Help me!" In about two seconds, she was pulled away from those groping hands, and lifted high into the air. Mori was looking at her with an expression she just couldn't place. _'What I would give to know what he's thinking.' _

Mori stared up into the big brown eyes of their newest host club member. He felt a connection, similar to his one with Mitsukuni. _'I've decided.' _Mori thought, staring into her hazel eyes. _'I'm going to protect her from now on as I protect Mitsukuni. She's gonna need it.' _Tamaki looked at them. "Mori-sempai?" he said. "You really didn't have to go that far."

Mori began to set Haruhi down carefully. "Wait." Mori paused. "Do not set me down until they agree to stop touching me." He lifted her up again, placing her on his shoulders. "Well?" The Host Club looked at her. "Fiiiiiiiiiine." They all whined pathetically. "Thank you." Mori set her down. She looked up at him. "Thank you, Mori-sempai." He gave her a tiny, tiny smile.

Kyouya clapped his hands together. "C'mon everybody, we've got a club to see to." He ushered them along. "Time is yen, go on." Hani scrambled up to Mori's shoulders. "Hey Takashi," he whispered in his cousins ear. "What do you think of Haru-chan?" Mori grunted neither a yes nor a no sound. "Okay." Hani smiled. "Well, I LIKE her!"

* * *

The Host Club went rather successfully. The new customers all fawned over Haruhi, and she seemed to enjoy the club as well. Then, it came to the end of the day. Haruhi looked down at the pond, admiring the view. A dark shape floated in it, and she squinted curiously. _'Aw man. My wallet is in that bag.'_

Dodging Kyouya, she managed to run into the courtyard. Without a second's hesitation, Haruhi jumped into the pond, rummaging for her stuff. Tamaki walked up to her, and tilted his head curiously. "Haruhi?" Said girl looked up, embarrassed. "How'd your bag get into the pond?" he asked, wading in with her. Haruhi looked up, noticing a dark shape in the window of the Music Room. _'So. It was her.' _

The next day, a girl got water poured on her head, was accused of trashing a host's possessions, and was kicked out of the Host Club. She had been jealous of Haruhi for becoming a favorite of the hosts so quickly. (A/N: I didn't like the girl at all, she's lucky she gets even a little part in my story.)

At the end of the day, Haruhi crawled into her small bed, hanging her new uniform in the closet next to her. As she lay there, she talked about her day to her mom.

'_Mom. I've been forced into servitude by a group that calls themselves the Host Club. I may not like it, but I think I'll learn to enjoy it in the future. This might actually be fun. I wish you were here to meet them.'_

Haruhi grew drowsy. A white figure appeared next to her just as she began to drift between consciousnesses. But she wasn't afraid. Haruhi knew it was her mother, as an angel, standing there next to her. _"I love you, Mom." _She whispered before she fell asleep. The figure kneeled, and kissed her daughter one last time. _'I love you, Haruhi.'_

* * *

Okay! Chapter One is done! I hope you all enjoyed the slow beginnings of the Host Club. Btws, the angel-apparition thing was something that happened to my mom. She said she saw a figure by her bed the day after her dad died. It convinced her to move on and live life happily. So, just thought I'd explain that. Stay tuned for chapter two. AnimeAuthorForevr signing off!


	2. Two Accidents in a Day

A/N: I'm SOOOOOO sorry, you guys! My computer decided to crash on me when I was typing the second chapter! And on top of that, we had a thunderstorm, making the freaking power turn off! _ Anyway, here's chapter two to my new story! I hope you all enjoy…. Because if you don't, I'll get my Takashi to use kendo on you! *smiles sweetly*

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Two: Two Accidents a Day!**

Haruhi ran swiftly through the long hallways of Ouran Academy. She was headed to the Music Room, already late for only her second meeting of the Host Club. The girl had been over studying again, preparing WAY too much for the next test. By the time she heard the clock tower bells chime, Haruhi had realized just how late she was. _'Kyouya-sempai is going to KILL me!' _The natural host had managed to break an eight million yen vase on her first visit to the Host Club.

That was what caused her joining of the club. Kyouya, the money-grubbing vice president, had indirectly threatened her with his money and special police force. So, Haruhi was forced to acquire one hundred hosts to pay off the debt. She had three. _'I'm never gonna hear the end of it if I'm late.' _

Two hallways later, the young host was lost. "No!" she shouted, exasperated. Haruhi began to wind her self up, thinking of the consequences of being late. _'Kyouya-sempai's going to torture me like he did to the twins! Tamaki-sempai's gonna make me wear a dress! Honey-sempai will make me eat cake until I EXPLODE!'_

At the thought of the late scenario, Haruhi let out a terrified scream. "Okay, Haruhi, calm down," she told herself, "You can't be that lost. Look around." Cautiously, she took in her surroundings. She was in a black hallway with creepy, dungeon-like torches lining the walls. _'I didn't know this school even __had__ a dungeon.' _Haruhi thought nervously._ 'It's probably where Kyouya-sempai hides his victims.' _

In spite of her situation, Haruhi stifled an uneasy giggle. A dark head popped out of the door next to her. Jumping back, Haruhi realized that it was just a human. She let out a relieved sigh. "Hi," she said cheerily, "I'm looking for Music Room Three. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?" She flashed a dazzling thousand watt Host Club smile.

"My, my." The figure whispered eerily, "What have we here?" A tall boy shrouded in a black cloak came out the door. What is a Host Club boy doing down here? His teal eyes seemed to be the only thing about him that didn't radiate evil. _'His eyes remind me of Tamaki-sempai's.'_

"Are we lost, little one?" the strange boy inquired. Haruhi stiffened, the hairs on her neck rising. _'There's a word to describe this guy.' _In a very Tamaki-like manner, the boy began to flaunt with an evil sort of air. "You've obviously come to learn the Dark Arts!" he blabbed on, "And you believed that the best person to learn it from would be me!"

Haruhi hit her hand with her fist. "I've got it!" The man stopped. "Annoying." He sweat dropped. "I am NOT annoying!" he protested. "I am Umehito Nekozawa, a second year who worships the darkness!" He finished proudly. "Okay, Nekozawa-sempai?" Nekozawa looked down at her.

A yellow cat puppet lunged at her from his hand. _'What on Earth?' _It moved its' little paws and let out a shriek. "What's that, Belzenef?" Nekozawa questioned, looking at the cat. "You think he wants to join the Black Magic Club?" _'He's crazy!' _Haruhi contemplated. "Fufufu….." The senior laughed evilly. "Well, in that case…."

Nekozawa moved closer. Haruhi took off running, scared out of her mind. "Wait!" the creepy second year called after her. "If you join now you get a free Belzenef curse doll!" Nekozawa threw something wooden and vaguely cat-shaped at her retreating figure. It collided with Haruhi's head with a heavy _thunk._

She pitched forward, skidding and somersaulting across the tile. The door to the Music room halted her. "Oww….." the girl mumbled, rubbing her head. A shadow fell across her, ceasing her groans. _'It's that guy again!' _Haruhi reached for her bag. It had two textbooks and a dictionary in there. "For the last time, I do not want to join your stupid club!" she screamed, lashing out with all her might.

* * *

Mori was late for the Host Club. He was currently on his way there, sprinting through the school like lightening. The senior's thoughts wandered to his cousin and his wellbeing. _'Is Mitsukuni okay?' _Mori's thoughts began to derail, thinking of the terrible consequences that might've occurred when he left for kendo.

'_Did he get a stomach ache from too much cake?'_

'_Was he ignored by everyone and forced to sit alone?'_

'_DID KYOUYA TAKE AWAY HIS BUNNY?'_

The tall senior pumped his legs faster. Flying past some startled girls, he was one hallway away from the Music Room and his cousin. _'I am __never__ doing kendo after school again.' _A foreign object slipped under his foot. Under normal circumstances, Mori would've noticed it beforehand and picked it up. But, he was worrying again. When Mori worried, his senses were clouded and he was as clumsy as a newborn deer. Foolishly, he tripped and skidded across the hard floor. "Ow."

Mori got up calmly. As usual, he ignored the fluttering fan girls. "Are you alright, Mori-sempai?" they squealed emotionally. _'Oh God.' _They may act they cared, but the truth was, most of them could care less. The only reason the girls liked him was because he was quiet and seemed interesting. Besides, most of them would leave if he just stood there staring at them.

He was very unlike his adorable cousin. Hani expressed his love through non-stop gushing and outbursts of love and affection. He was like a little kid, even if he was actually a senior. Appreciation was expressed through many hugs and thank-yous and of course, cake. Lots and lots of cake.

Mori was a direct opposite. It was rather unnerving, actually. He didn't believe that words were always necessary. You didn't always need to speak to express yourself.

Verbal communication wasn't an absolute necessity. Simple little gestures could work just as well.

You could just as easily express affection or appreciation that way. A kiss, a hug, a pat on the head, all of these worked just as well. Besides, if you used words, you could just as easily spoil the moment. Foot-in-mouth syndrome seemed to plague everyone the worst during nice moments. Sometimes, the silence was even better than a whole conversation. At least to Mori, anyway.

But, on the down side, his stoic behavior could drive people away. It made them mistake him as a robot, emotionless and cold. He didn't want that. Mori wanted people to attempt to talk to him. Most of his fellow classmates stopped trying after one go. If the scary-looking senior didn't talk once, most figured he wouldn't at all.

The dark-haired senior rounded the corner of the Music Room. He quickly arranged his features back into a calm façade. If Mitsukuni found out he was brooding again, it wouldn't be pretty. He'd be forced to hold Usa-chan and eat cake.

Mori looked up. Haruhi, the new host, was slumped against the door, holding her head. His protective instincts kicked in automatically. _'What happened to her?' _Mori remembered when Kyouya had morphed the Music Room.

Haruhi had crushed herself against Mori tightly, her fingernails digging into his side. Mori had wrapped his arm around the girl defensively. It had felt kind of nice, actually, though Mori wouldn't admit it. _'I love feeling needed, that's all.' _He nodded, reassuring himself.

Moving towards her, Mori let his guard down. This was Haruhi, a girl who couldn't even protect anyone. _'__She's__ the one who need protecting.' _He saw her hands move to grab her bag. And swing it towards his face quickly.

* * *

'_Okay, I take that back.' _Mori thought, hitting the opposite wall. _'She hits hard for someone her size.' _He touched his cheek gingerly. If Mori had been prepared, he wouldn't have moved an inch. He would've blocked the hit and pinned Haruhi to the ground in five seconds.

'_Thank God I had my guard down.' _He thought, staring at her. _'I don't want to see her hurt, let alone be the one who caused it.' _Mori had been worrying about Haruhi when he saw her hurt. So, he'd been unprepared. Again.

"Mori-sempai!" Haruhi squeaked. "I'm so sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" The natural host rambled on, her voice getting higher.

"I got lost, and ended up in a dark hallway and I met this weird guy with a cat puppet. He reminded me of Tamaki-sempai because he was annoying and goofy and he started talking about black magic and curses and his cat puppet thing just nodded and seemed to move by itself…"

Mori walked forward quietly, listening to her rant without judgment. "And then I ran away and threw something after me and it hit me in the head and then you showed up and I thought you were him and that's why I hit you with my bag!" Haruhi sucked in a giant breath.

Mori said nothing. Instead of words, he used a gesture. Affectionally, he placed a hand on her head. "It's okay." The tall senior smiled. Haruhi smiled brightly. "Hm!" Together, they opened the doors to find….

* * *

A Bali-styled tropical paradise.

Haruhi sweat dropped, exasperated. "Welcome!" the rest of the Host Club said. Apparently, the theme of the day meant to show skin. The twins wore long matching blue skirts and headbands. No one really was wearing a shirt. Kyouya's skirt was dark green. Hani's was yellow with blue trim. The cute little senior had a lei of red flowers around his neck. "Takashi!" he cried, climbing up onto his cousin's shoulders. "There you are!" Hani patted his head affectionally. "Go get changed!" Mori nodded, walking off.

A toucan landed on Haruhi's head. She gasped, and brought out her calendar. "I may be wrong, but the calendar says its early spring." Her eyebrow twitched.

'_Can you see this from Heaven, Mom?'_

Tamaki sprung at her, clasping her to his chest. The King wore dress-like attire, mostly cream-colored with some purple and yellow. "Oh, Haruhi," he murmured, "My darling daughter, I've missed you!" Tamaki dragged her to a mannequin. "Here's your outfit, my tropical princess!" He gestured proudly.

Haruhi gasped, struggling for words of rage. She found none. It was an Aztec looking headdress with red earrings. The costume itself seemed to match Tamaki's. It looked eerily similar to his, in fact. _'Why, just why?' _

"You and I are a pair!"

Haruhi shoved him off, annoyed. Ordinarily, Tamaki would go to Corner of woe and pout. Not today, though. "Mommy?" He asked evilly, "What will happen if Haruhi doesn't dress up today?"

The twins popped up, pressing themselves against Haruhi suggestively. "Who's Mommy?" Kaoru asked. "It can't be Haruhi," Hikaru added, grabbing said girl's chin. "She's too pretty to be married to Tono." The mischievous twin looked deeply into Haruhi's eyes.

"I'm guessing it's me." Kyouya stopped typing. "And I will increase her debt." He pushed up his glasses evilly, and went back to work. _'Damn Shadow King.' _Haruhi sighed, shuffling to the dressing room. "Stupid sempai and his perverted fetishes." She sighed wearily, locking the door. _'You just never know with the Host Club boys.' _Haruhi thought turning around.

* * *

There stood Mori, her sempai, looking utterly embarrassed, clad only in his boxers. "M-M-Mori-sempai!" Haruhi yelped, covering her eyes. "I-I'm so sorry!" Her face filled with blood, dying her cheeks crimson.

Mori was also blushing heavily, a first for him. He couldn't remember if he had ever blushed. _'So?' _the stoic host thought furiously. _'If __any__ girl walked in on me like this, I would blush!' _He fumbled for his costume, which didn't exactly cover him better. "You can look now." Haruhi slipped her hands down, opening her brown eyes.

Mori wore a long simple purple skirt, like the other boys. His headband was purple, and a golden sash hugged the side of his chest. _'Wow, Mori-sempai looks really attractive!' _Haruhi bit her tongue. Hard. _'WHAT?'_ she thought frantically, tasting blood. _'Did I just think that Mori-sempai looked attractive?' _Haruhi began to blush again. _'Dammit.'_

Mori stared down at the natural host. Haruhi was beginning to get little beads of sweat on her forehead. _'She's kinda cute when she's flustered.'_ The senior froze. _'Did I just think that Haruhi looked cute?' _Mori quickly regained his composure. _'Think of Mitsukuni.' _Mori relaxed.

Mitsukuni was the reason Mori didn't talk to anyone, or have a girlfriend. Not in a bad way, it was just that Mori thought only one way. When Mitsukuni was fully happy, only then would Mori have a life of his own. He'd get a girlfriend then. Not now.

"Haruhi." He saw her jump at her name. "You should go to the doctor." The host leaned in close, so that their noses were just barely touching. "You look ill." He breathed. Haruhi nodded, just barely perceptible. She then stepped aside to let Mori out.

* * *

The girls at the Host Club seemed to be overly excited. Showing skin tended to attract more girls than when they were covered up. Mori seemed to attract a lot of stares, even from Haruhi. _'He's __definitely__ the best looking one here.' _

"Excuse me." A girl said, grabbing Haruhi's attention once more. "I believe it's time for the hosts to switch clients." Haruhi looked up. "I'm Kanako." A short-haired brunette said coyly. "Wow," she said, grabbing Haruhi's chin tenderly. "I've decided. You're my new favorite."

Kyouya clapped his hands loudly. "Attention, everyone." Everyone stared up at the Shadow King. "Our king, Tamaki, has something to share with you all." Tamaki stood, gently prying himself from the fan girls around him. "Tonight is the Host Club Ball. Make sure to dress your best and come spend your night with us!"

Kyouya clapped his hands again. He cast an admiring glance at Tamaki, unnoticed by everyone. Except Haruhi. _'I think Tamaki-sempai is a good match for Kyouya-sempai.' _The young girl smiled. "The Host Club is dismissed!" The girls aawed and reluctantly made for the doors.

Kanako let go of Haruhi. "I'll see you at the party tonight, Haruhi-kun."

* * *

Okay, chapter two is done my lovelies! 3 Hope you all enjoyed. And R and R or Haruhi will get her Takashi to hurt you. BADLY. *smiles sweetly*


	3. The Host Club Ball!

Hey guys, it's Bailey again! 3 Chapter three is up and running! I think you'll be VEEERY happy with the turn of events…. *secret smile* Thanks to paigeydoll, Neko-Chan1616, bekkie, Yuuna Arashi, Red Amnesia, donttouchmykyouya818, and RukiHina15 for the reviews! Free virtual cake for all of you, and a Takashi plushie! I LOVES YOU ALL! 3

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Three: The Host Club Ball! **

The last girl had just closed the door to Music Room Three. Haruhi slumped in her chair, breathing a sigh of weariness. She nodded her head towards the door. "Who was that girl?" Kyouya looked up. "Kanako Kasugazaki." At the mention of her, Tamaki fled to his emo corner. Kyouya looked at him with a strange mixture of concern and irritation.

"Tamaki-sempai?" The twins walked over. "It's probably because you stole Kanako from him." Haruhi sweat dropped. "So it's because I stole her from him?" She glared at her sempai. "That's stupid." Kyouya looked at the King again. "Well, that's Tono for ya, Haruhi." Hikaru said.

"She's had the disease for quite some time now, though."

"Disease?"

"She switches host every couple of days."

_'Oh I see,' _Haruhi frowned. _'She's a whore.' _Kyouya chuckled.

"I wouldn't exactly say that."

"Stop reading my mind!"

"I don't read minds."

"But- How….."

"You don't need to know. It's a secret."

Hani chimed in, easing the escalating argument. "What about the party?" The Shadow King shut his laptop. And stood up. Everyone backed away slowly, afraid of what might occur. "Since Tamaki is no longer with us," the cool host nodded to the empty shell in the corner, "I guess I'll take over from here."

Kyouya rapidly began to text on his cell phone. The hosts relaxed, no longer sensing danger of any kind. Mere seconds later, a smile graced his features. "All taken care of."

_'Damn Shadow King.' _Haruhi sighed, irritated.

"What was that, Haruhi?"

"Dammit, stay out of my thoughts!"

Hikaru butted in. "Haruhi, can you waltz by any chance?" Haruhi stiffened. "No, but that has nothing to do with my debt, right?" In the corner, Tamaki raised his head. "I'd like to be excused!"

The King leapt up. "Definitely not, Haruhi." He stabbed a finger in her direction. "If you don't come to tonight's party, I'll let the entire school know you're a girl!" Haruhi froze, her mouth agape.

"BLACKMAIL? That's not fair, Tamaki-sempai!"

"It's perfectly fair! We need you at the ball to keep people entertained!"

"I can't dance!"

"You'll have to learn!"

Tamaki left no room for argument, sweeping dramatically from the room. "Haru-chaaaaaaaan!" A blonde blur flew into said girl's arms. "Hey, hey, I can show you how to waltz!" Hani winked cutely in her arms. "I'll be the girl, 'kay?" The boy Lolita giggled at his own little joke.

"Are you sure, Hani-sempai?" Haruhi asked warily. She clearly remembered the last time Hani had grabbed her hands. The natural host winced. Hani missed the hint. "Uh-huh!" he chirped, oblivious. Hani grabbed her hands, and began instructing.

_'What did I get myself into, Mom?' _the girl thought as she waltzed around the room. _'I'm attending my first school dance as a __boy.__' _She sighed, losing focus. Something squishy caught under her foot. "Hani-sempai! I'm sorry!"

The object was Hani's foot. "I-It's okay, Haru-chan." Hani swallowed, golden-brown eyes filling with tears. Mori got up immediately. "Takashi, I'm okay!" Mori grunted, seating himself again. He'd saw Haruhi's eyes fill with fear when he'd stood.

_'Do I scare her?' _The thought alone made Mori depressed. _'I didn't mean to frighten her. It's just that I come off that way.'_ Still brooding, the stoic host began to nod off on the couch. Within minutes, he was quietly dozing.

* * *

An hour and many apologies later, Haruhi mastered the waltz. Hani hugged her joyfully, and skipped off to the end of the room. "Hani-sempai, where are you going?" Hani put a finger to his lips. "Takashi's sleeping."

Haruhi looked at the figure on the couch. _'Mori-sempai looks so innocent when he's sleeping. It's kinda cute.' _The natural host smiled gently. The smile turned into a worried frown. _'Dammit, Haruhi! Get a hold of yourself! Mori-sempai is __not__ cute!_

Hani gently shook his cousin's arm. "Takashi, Takashi! Wake up! What about the party?" Mori groaned, slowly opening his grey eyes. "C'mon, Takashi, we gotta go home!" Grabbing his cousin's forearm, he dragged the taller boy off the couch.

Haruhi stood there, astounded. "Gosh, Hani-sempai, you're pretty strong!" Hani smiled weakly.

"He's heavy, though."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, you go home and get changed, Haru-chan!"

"Okay, Hani-sempai." Haruhi smiled at her blonde sempai. "I'll see you tonight!" Haruhi shut the door to the Music Room, walking home quickly. A sudden thought came to her mind, and the young woman smiled. _'The guys will be pretty surprised when I show up tonight.' _Haruhi opened her apartment door.

* * *

Two hours later, a very beautiful girl climbed into a taxi. "Ouran Academy, please." The driver stared at her, mouth wide open. The teen cleared her throat. "Sir?" _'What a pretty girl!' _he thought, blushing.

"Eh? Oh! Sure!" The man's face grew even redder. The girl in the backseat giggled. On the way there, she contemplated how the night would go. She smiled, her brown eyes sparkling. (A/N: An OC, maybe? XD)

The cab pulled up to the empty school campus. The driver turned in his seat. "Are you sure this is the right place, miss?" The girl smiled again. "Yes, I'm just running a little late." Reaching for her purse, she asked, "How much do I owe you?" She was stopped by a hand.

"No charge." The man winked. She smiled, blushing. "How sweet of you!" With those parting words, the teenager climbed from the taxi.

"I am a little late." She muttered crossly. Sighing, she adjusted her dress. It was pink, a large bow on the bottom and a rose at the top. It wasn't exactly her taste, but her father had insisted she go in it.

"_It was your mother's. She'd have been happy to see you wear it."_

Pushing her long brown hair from her face, the girl took two steps, and stumbled. "Damn heels." She grumbled. Straightening, she looked up at the dance hall with wide eyes. The girl took a deep breath. And walked fearlessly into Ouran Academy.

* * *

"…. As always, the Host Club is here for your entertainment!" Kyouya smiled, throwing his arms wide. "Dance to your heart's content. The best dancer," he added, his façade slipping a bit. "Wins a kiss from Tamaki!"

The King extended an arm, winking to the horde of fan girls. "Good luck, my darlings." A couple girls fainted. Hearts flew everywhere.

"We will be but a moment, mademoiselles."

The boys converged. "Where's Haruhi?" Kaoru whispered. "I don't know, but she'd better show up." Kyouya's glasses glinted dangerously. "If not, I'll increase her quota to a thousand costumers!" Everyone shrunk back.

"Let's just go on without her."

They nodded. "Unfortunately, Haruhi is running a little late." There were several aaws. Kaoru spoke up. "But the rest of us will try our best to stand in for our fellow host!" The girls screamed, dismissing Haruhi entirely. And thus, the ball began. The boys danced with the ladies endlessly, trying hard not to worry about Haruhi.

'_Where is she?'_

'_Has my darling daughter been kidnapped?' _

'_Did I scare her off?'_

'_Is Haru-chan okay?'_

'_I swear her debt will increase to the point where she'll be a maid in my house!'_

Well, most of the hosts were worried, at least.

* * *

Adjusting her dress one last time, Haruhi walked into the ball room. She sweat dropped. There were at least a million host club clients here! Not to mention each dress had to be worth at least a million yen. She gulped. _'If I don't get out, I'll be recognized for sure!' _Slowly, the natural host began to back away.

Kaoru noticed her in the doorway. After several attempts to reach her, he finally stood before Haruhi. The fan girls were everywhere. "Why, hello….." he murmured flirtatiously. "Would you care to dance?" Haruhi blanched.

'_Damn.'_

"Sure."

Kaoru grasped her hand, and began to dance with her.

'_He doesn't know it's me.' _

Haruhi nearly laughed, but settled for a smile. "What's your name?" Kaoru smiled back, trying to remember where he'd seen her. "Oh, it's N-Natsuya!" The calmer of the two twins laughed, thinking her stutter meant she was nervous. _'She's cute!' _

"No need to be nervous, Natsuya…" Kaoru leaned in, "I don't bite." He whispered in her ear. "_Hard."_ Her eyes widened. They swept across the dance floor, moving towards the other hosts.

Haruhi spotted Kyouya dancing with another client. The girl paled, and bit her lip. _'Not there!' _she thought, making eye contact with Kaoru. _'He'll recognize me for sure!' _Kaoru followed her eyes to Kyouya. He nodded understandingly. His gold eyes softened.

Luckily, Kaoru steered them a safe distance from the Shadow King. Haruhi breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Kaoru laughed. "I know, Kyouya-sempai's pretty scary." Haruhi giggled, nodding.

The dance ended. "Goodbye, my lovely…" Kaoru said, walking away. Just before another girl snagged him, he turned and gave Haruhi a wink. Once her fellow host became occupied, Haruhi breathed in deeply.

'_Thank God he didn't recognize me.'_

"I'm never doing this again."

The host froze. Kyouya was headed this way. _'Damn!' _Haruhi paled. _'If he sees me, I'm so dead!' _Scared out of her mind, Haruhi began backtracking hurriedly. The Shadow King seemed to be looking for something.

Something solid collided with her back. Haruhi turned around, annoyed.

"Now what?"

Haruhi stopped.

Grey eyes bored into her emotionlessly.

* * *

'_Mori-sempai…' _

He was wearing a dark blue overcoat and slacks. It was unbuttoned to reveal a white dress shirt and blue bow. _'He looks amazing…' _Haruhi stared at him, and he stared right back down at her.

'_It's Haruhi.' _

Mori stared down at the natural host. She was dressed like a girl of course, but the eyes remained the same. Those sweet, beautiful brown eyes….. He shook his head mentally, clearing it. _'No, Takashi. She's like a sister to you, that's __it__.' _

'_She looks really cute…'_

"I'm sorry!" Haruhi squeaked out. All of a sudden, her face felt hot and her stomach hurt. _'Wait a minute! I'm not one of those stupid fan girls!' _She met Mori's eyes again with a sudden determination. _'I can handle him!'_ Mori waited silently.

_'What's with the sudden blazing look?' _Mori contemplated. _'She looks so fearless, it's unnerving.' _Mori suddenly had a shocking thought. _'I'm terrified of this small girl.' _Haruhi thrust her chin out defiantly, staring the tall host down.

"Would you like to dance?" Haruhi stared up at Mori. _'Wait, WHAT did I just ask?' _Mori blinked slowly, realizing what she'd just said. Most girls wouldn't even think of asking him. He was terrifying. And yet, here was a girl he could crush with one hand asking him to dance.

'_She scares me. She's so fearless.'_

'_He's scary. Why'd I ask him to dance?' _

"Yes." Haruhi jumped. Her brown eyes widened. Mori smiled at her genuinely. It was the first real smile Haruhi had ever seen from him.

Mori took her hand, dancing with her gently. Haruhi felt his hand grab her waist, and she tensed up. Blushing, she forced herself to meet his eyes. She decided to focus on the song instead. It was Owl City, one of her favorite artists.

'…_.The spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly….' _

That just made Haruhi blush harder. _'I think I have a cold.'_ She nodded, reassuring herself. _'I've got a dry mouth, a fever, and an upset stomach.' _She sighed, content with her answer. Mori twirled her around the dance floor. "Are you alright?" Haruhi jumped, staring at him.

'_Did he just speak?' _

"Yes, I'm fine." The stoic host smiled again. "I'm glad you're okay, Haruhi." Mori said, leaning in close. "Ah!" She struggled for words. "How did you know it was me?" she whispered furiously. The tall senior laughed, making Haruhi's stomach flutter.

'…_When I think of you, I don't feel so alone…..'_

'_I can't believe I'm getting sick.'_

"You stared me down so fearlessly. Not many girls do that." His grey eyes softened. "Besides, no girl has eyes this cute…" Mori removed one hand to caress Haruhi's face softly. Her face turned an impossible shade of crimson.

'…_..I'll taste the sky and feel alive again….'_

"Mori-sempai, are you feeling alright?" Mori withdrew, switching them back to dancing mode. A frown appeared on his face. "Now that you mention it, I feel a little sleepy."

_'So that's it.' _Mori looked at her. "Haruhi, you should leave before Kyouya catches you." He whispered urgently. "Kaoru knew it was you, and Mitsukuni's no fool. It's just Tamaki and Kyouya."

'…_.Oh, darling, I wish you were here…..'_

* * *

Their dance ended. Haruhi stared at the stoic senior curiously. She was hit by a sudden thought. '_He cares about me.' _She felt her cold symptoms flare up. "Thank you, Mori-sempai, I'll be leaving now." The natural host began slowly weaving her way throughout the fan girls. Ashley Tisdale began to sing in the background.

'…_..It don't take a word, not a single word….'_

A spotlight fell on her. Haruhi froze. _'What?' _She turned towards the stairs. "Congratulations, Natsuya Inuzuka!" Kaoru said into a large microphone. "You'll now receive a kiss from our King!" Haruhi fell over.

'_I am NOT kissing Tamaki-sempai.' _

Tamaki looked down at the girl. His violet eyes widened. _'That's Haruhi!' _He blushed furiously. "Are you ready?" The King managed a flirtatious wink. Haruhi fumed. _'He's got lots of nerve.'_

'_Sha la la la la la, my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy…..'_

Hikaru said cheerily, "Takashi Morinozuka will be standing in for Tamaki!" Tamaki gasped, looking from twin to twin. "Kyouya did say a little surprise at the end of the night might make things more interesting!" the twins said in unison, holding a banana peel in each hand.

* * *

Up on the stairs, Mori froze. Hani looked up at him. "It's just a kiss on the cheek." He said, smiling. "Don't be scared, Takashi." Mori nodded, taking in a deep breath. _'I'm so scared.' _

'_Sha la la la la la, don't be scared, you better be prepared…' _

Haruhi blushed, looking around. This was a pretty dangerous situation. If she kissed Mori-sempai, she could get him sick. (A/N: Way to go, Haruhi. O_o) Besides, there were worse things to be dealt with at the present time.

Glowing red eyes surrounded her. Knowing them, they were all Mori's fan girls. And right now, they all hated Haruhi. With a fierce, fiery passion. _'Oh crap.' _Carefully, Haruhi made her way to the stairs. She edged forward, expecting knives or throwing stars. After all, they were in Japan. There had to be some ninjas.

Mori walked down the stairs just as carefully. They locked eyes. _'Oh, damn. I can't do this.' _They thought in unison. Finally, the walk ended. Haruhi swallowed, looking up. Mori looked down at her.

'_What's he thinking?' _

'_Dammit, why can't I figure her out?'_

The tall senior leaned down, touching her cheek gently. "Are you sure?" he questioned, meeting her eyes. Haruhi looked at him, no fear in her brown eyes. "It's just a kiss on the cheek, sempai." Then, she touched his hand. "Are you sure?"

Mori smiled. "I'm fine with it." While saying so, the stoic senior tilted her head to the side. Haruhi closed her eyes. She felt nervous, and her cold was driving her crazy.

'…_Kiss the girl…'_

Up on the banister, Hani suddenly perked up. His golden eyes sparkled, widening. "Hey, you don't think this is Haru-chan's first kiss, do you?" Tamaki jumped. "Well, this should be interesting…." The twins nonchalantly said.

The King ran down the stairs. _'I must protect my daughter's virtue!' _He flung out a hand. "Wait! Mori-sempai!" And…

He slipped on the banana peels discarded by the twins.

"Oh, damn." Hani whispered. Hikaru gaped at him. "Hani-sempai!" The boy Lolita turned and smiled. "Oh. Sorry Hika-chan." Kaoru stared at their sempai, surprised at him.

Tamaki flew forward, a hand out to stop himself. Accidentally, he pushed Mori in the back, catching him off guard. The stoic host moved his arm, moving Haruhi's head with it. Haruhi faced him, a question in her eyes.

Mori's lips connected with Haruhi's.

'…_..Go on and kiss the girl!'_

Some girls screamed, some cried. They, however, just stood there, lips intertwined. _'Oh, God, I'm so sorry!' _Mori panicked. Haruhi stared at him in shock. _'...' _

They separated fairly quickly. Gingerly, both hosts put a hand to their lips. They stared at each other. Mori was kind of pink, Haruhi pale as a vampire. Mori spoke first.

"Haruhi, I-"

She cut him off. "Mori-sempai, it's okay, alright?" she smiled. "No trouble." Mori smiled back a little warily. _'Yah right, no trouble.' _

"Thank you for the wonderful night, ladies!" Kyouya announced. "We bid you farewell!" Then, he glared down at Haruhi. " Miss Inuzuka, please come up the stairs for congratulations."

* * *

"Oh crap." Haruhi felt the color drain her face. A hand came to rest on her head. Looking up, she beamed. "Don't worry." His stoic ness had returned.

She ascended the stairs, Mori by her side. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hani were overjoyed, Tamaki was muttering "Incest…", and Kyouya was livid.

"Haruhi, you're quota is increased to one thousand!" He towered over her, a fearsome demon. The rest of the Host Club ganged up on him.

"That's not fair!"

"Yah, Haru-chan WAS here!"

"You can't expect her to ALWAYS be with us!"

"Tamaki-sempai never said what I had to do when I got here." Haruhi stated coldly. A fork of lightening sprung out from the darkness above her, and she flinched. _'That ruined the effect.' _"You have no right to do this."

Tamaki nodded wearily, still in shock. Kyouya glared at him, then at Haruhi, then at the rest of the Host Club. "Oh, all right!" Tamaki sprung up, looping his arms around Kyouya's neck.

"Tamaki, what the hell are you doing?"

"Mommy's so good to her children!" The King leaned in close to Kyouya. "Daddy thinks she deserves a reward….." Surprising everyone, Tamaki kissed the raven-haired boy full on the mouth.

In shock, Haruhi fell over. The other boys just froze. Kyouya wrapped his arms around Tamaki, leaning into the kiss. When it turned into tongues, moaning, and groping, Hikaru cleared his throat and Kaoru coughed discreetly. No response.

"Dammit, stop fondling each other in front of us!"

"Mommy" stopped kissing "Daddy" reluctantly. "Fine…" Kyouya sighed. Hani laughed, easing the awkwardness. He was good at easing situations.

"So, I'm not being punished?" Kyouya straightened his clothes. "Not at the present." His glasses flashed. "But I will get you back. Just wait."

Haruhi swallowed. Then, she smirked. _'This was a pretty amazing night….' _She glanced at Mori. _'I never imagined that would be my first kiss…..' _Mori caught Haruhi glancing at him.

'_Perhaps something good will come from all this…..'_

* * *

TA-DAH! Well whattya think? Whoever guesses the two mystery songs gets a virtual Hani plushie complete with cake and Usa-chan! R and R, lovelies!


	4. Leave or Stay?

Oh god you guys! I am SOOOO sorry! I never meant to neglect you, honest! I…. um.. Wow this is embarrassing. I kinda got caught up watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy! *blushes because she's embarrassed* I've never seen them. Btw, Sam and Frodo are SOOOO in love with each other, I don't care if Sam got married, I will burn Rosie's house DOWN! *LAUGHS EVILLY* And then there was that fire and the fact that I was reading Under The Dome by the fabulously twisted Stephen King!

ANYWAYS….

The good news I'm back, but I'm mad! I should be happy, because almost 20 reviews with three chapters is nothing to sneeze at. _BUT…._ Most reviews have been from a continuing seven or eight devoted readers. Then, I looked at my hits for this story. And fell out of my chair. 700 HITS AND ONLY 19 REVIEWS!

That's right! I noticed! AND… AND! I know who you people are who have favorited and alerted my story. That's right, I'm looking at you!

DixiePixie2011, enchantressXofsouls, Gamer AlchemistZ, GracieLue, invisiblepanda15, LadyMiki16, Meresdreams, PureHearts, The-Konoha-Shadow, 4K-san, AckleeX3, Becjane, capandcase4ever, Kuramasredredrose, lil whit, MangaFreak3, Poolday, psychoticKisshu, Silver-wind-on-moon, and XxXTwilight-SinXxX! You are the ones who have not reviewed. So I ask….. please. If you love the story enough to FAVORITE it, to ALERT it, review it. It makes a writer feel appreciated. It will also convince to update faster.

I have not written because I haven't felt the drive to. I feel the need again, but I need support. Those of you who have reviewed, I thank you. It's kept me writing. OKAY! I'm sorry I've bored you so long with my RANTING! Read, dear readers, read!

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Four: Leave or Stay?**

* * *

_ Haruhi ran across the courtyard, heart pounding frantically. This was it. Her time here was over and done with. She would no longer walk in these halls, learn in these classrooms, laugh with these people. It was finished. A long, white limo pulled up. To some, it was an omen of pure evil. But, to Haruhi, it was a sense of security and promise. _

_The window lowered…._

_A well-manicured finger beckoned to her…_

_Haruhi smiled at this, brown eyes sparkling. She was really doing it. She was really leaving this school to be with others of her kind. It felt nice to laugh. It felt nice to be free again. The girl cast one final glance to the campus around her. _

_Ouran Academy…._

_It would forever hold a place in her heart. So much had happened here, so much in a particular room. Haruhi searched for the window she'd grown accustomed to looking out of. There is was. Right there. The place she'd spent most of her time in while she went here. _

_Music Room Three….._

_The Host Club._

_Despite the circumstances, Haruhi felt tears prick in the corners of her eyes. They came unwillingly, reluctantly, as if to show that she was making a wrong choice. She brushed them away angrily, roughly with her palms. It was her choice to do this. She had to go through with it. _

_But still…._

_Tamaki _

_Kyouya_

_Hikaru_

_Kaoru_

_Hani_

_and..._

_Mori. _

_She was never going to see them again. _

_Haruhi closed her eyes to block them out. To block out her memories of fun and affection. She'd known them for a small time, but already they had made an impression on her. Haruhi loved them all. She loved all the hosts, and she'd never wanted to hurt them. But…. It was time for her to go. _

_She willed her hand to open the door…._

_A door that would take her to a new place._

_A new life._

"_Haruhi!"_

* * *

_Mori ran down the stairs, heart pumping erratically. Every breath he drew hurt him, but he couldn't stop running. Not now. He'd just heard the news. The terrible, horrifying news. It was impossible to believe. No, it was impossible to even think of it. Mori shook his head._

"_Haruhi's leaving, Mori-sempai."_

_Tamaki had finally been the one to tell him. As he stood in the doorway in disbelief, the others host unfroze. When Mori had first arrived, they had been sitting in shock, eyes glazed over like dolls. No life. At Tamaki's words, they came back to life, into a nightmare they'd never wanted to face. _

_Tears seeped from Kaoru's golden eyes, and he clutched Hikaru, sobbing, "She can't just leave! Not now!" Hikaru himself was at a loss of words for the first time in his life. He shut his eyes, willing his own tears away. The older sibling must always comfort the younger, no matter what. _

_Hani ran at Tamaki, wailing without shame. They collapsed to the floor, hugging each other and crying at the same time. Tamaki also cried with reckless abandon, not caring if anyone saw. _

_Kyouya, the Shadow King, did not cry. Of course he wouldn't cry. He hadn't cried a day of his life, for as long as he remembered. Kyouya Ootori didn't cry. He got angry. The young man began throwing objects around the room, seething. Vases broke, laptops were crushed, and hearts were broken. In the end, he too broke down emotionally. He fell to his knees in a pile of broken glass, shaking. The cool host had lost his composure. _

_It was in seeing the most emotionless host fall that Mori snapped out of his own reverie. He ran back through the doorway in which he'd come in, leaving his grief-stricken friends behind. __'She can't do this.'_

"_Takashi! Where are you going?" _

_And for the first time in his life, Takashi Morinozuka ignored Mitsukuni Haninozuka. He didn't say a word, nor did he even turn back. Mori just ran and ran and ran. One coherent thought reined in his mind as he raced for the courtyard. _

'_She can't leave.'_

_Over and over, Mori repeated this thought, as if it would help. As if it would make Haruhi stay. His eyes pricked, and he wiped at them furiously. There she was, standing still as stone. He hadn't missed her. There was still time. Her eyes were closed, fingers stretching for the door handle. _

"_Haruhi!"_

_Brown eyes opened, filled with tears unshed. Mori didn't stop running until he stood in front of her. In front of the host who had united them all. For the first time, he let his emotions be clear to her. He opened his mind. Emotion ran rampant across his face. Mori's eyes were pleading. _

_"I'm sorry, Mori-sempai." And when Mori's face had opened, Haruhi's had become closed. It became a mask, a wall, meant to keep him out now more than ever. "I have to leave." Her hands gripped the door. Opened it. _

"_Haruhi…. __Please.__"_

_Haruhi gazed at him coolly. "Tell me why." Mori started, unsure of what she wanted. _

"…"

_Her mask cracked. _

"_TELL ME WHY!"_

_Haruhi cried out, tears slipping down her cheeks. She ran at him. "Tell me why I shouldn't leave!" She hit out, striking Mori repeatedly in the chest. _

"_Tell me!"_

_SMACK_

"_Tell me." _

_Thump._

_She stopped, just hanging against him, sobs escaping her mouth in loud hiccups. Mori looked down at her, and felt the answer in an instant. It was so obvious. How could she not see it for herself?_

'_Because I need you. We all need you.'_

_Mori tried to speak. He tried the hardest he'd ever tried. His mouth wouldn't seem to form the words. No, it __couldn't__ form them. His eyes widened. Hand flitted to his mouth in wonder. They found nothing. He had no mouth. _

_In vain, Mori tried to convey his thoughts with his eyes. _

'_Haruhi, look at me.'_

_Haruhi stopped hitting him. _

'_Haruhi, please!'_

_Her tears stopped._

'_Oh God, NO!'_

_The former host stepped back. And from her mouth came those final, harsh, terrible words. _

"_Goodbye, Mori-sempai."_

* * *

"Haruhi!"

Mori sat bolt upright in bed, terrified. Sweat clung to him like a second skin. He kicked the covers off, swinging his legs over. The tall senior sat there, horrified at what had just happened. _'Oh God.'_

Mori looked around. This was his room. His nice, familiar room. Not Ouran Courtyard. He wasn't at Ouran. He was in his mansion right next to Mitsukuni's estate. Which meant it wasn't real. Haruhi wasn't gone. She was okay.

'_Just a dream. Only a dream.' _

"Thank God." Mori swallowed dryly. He shook his head, clearing it. Looking at the clock, the senior rose, climbing out of his bed. Mori looked at it. _'Everytime I see that bed now, I'll think of that nightmare.' _He was just heading out the door, on his way to Ouran (And Haruhi), when his little brother stopped him.

"Hey Takashi, are you feeling alright?" Satoshi Morinozuka asked. The young martial artist was like a little copy of Mori. They shared the same eyes, the same hair, and the same body structure. The brothers had one major difference that set them apart from each other.

And that difference was…

'_Satoshi's a chatterbox.' _Mori sighed, closing his eyes in irritation. "Yes." Satoshi wailed his disappointment. He chased his brother to the front yard, where Mitsukuni was waiting. "C'mon Takashi!" the young boy begged, "What's up?"

"Goodbye, Satoshi." He ruffled his brother's hair. Satoshi pouted. "Well fine." As he walked back to the house, he muttered, "You're never gonna get that Haruhi girl acting like that."

The elder Morinozuka froze in his tracks. "What?" He turned around, face radiating annoyance. _'Of course my brother can get emotion out of me.'_ Satoshi looked at him, head tilted to the side. "You kept saying her name in your sleep, bro." He grinned cheekily. "When do I get to meet her?"

* * *

Mori stalked off, picking up Mitsukuni none too gently on his way. "Takashi, what was that about Haru-chan?" he whispered in his ear. "I had a nightmare." His grey eyes hardened. "It was about her." Mitsukuni whimpered. "Was she alright?" Mori nodded stoically.

'_She was alright, but I wasn't.'_

They arrived just as the clock tower chimed. Mori flinched involuntarily. "What's wrong, Takashi?" Mitsukuni said from his new spot on the ground. "Nothing." He kept the important information to himself as to not worry his cousin.

'_This is the courtyard where Haruhi left us.' _

"Good morning, Hani-sempai, Mori-sempai." Haruhi's voice floated over to the seniors. She was standing in the nightmare spot. Mori tensed up. "Takashi, don't worry, 'kay?" Mitsukuni put a hand on his shoulder. Mori looked at him, confused.

"Don't worry about what?" Mitsukuni blushed. "Oh, eh….. I guess you forgot." The tall senior focused all his attention on his cousin. "What happened?" The blond looked over his shoulder, seeing the approaching figure of Haruhi. He grabbed Mori's shoulders, and said in one big rush,

"Last night, you and Haru-chan kissed, 'kay?"

Mori stiffened. _'What?'_ He tried to remember last night, and succeeded. Suddenly, Mori remembered everything, from the dance to the kiss to the end of the night. He and Haruhi had kissed. It had been accidental, but still.

'_Oh God, what do I do?'_

'_Act natural, Takashi, act normal!'_

Mori took in one deep breath. He opened his grey eyes. They met deep, fathomless brown ones. It killed him to know that he couldn't understand her. He understood everyone he met. They were all no good at hiding anything. But, Haruhi was, in a sense, just like him.

"Good morning." He watched her gasp. Pink tinges rose to her cheeks, barely detectable by anyone. He saw her chest rise and fall quickly, more quickly than before. It astounded him. How could one person change so quickly?

"Are you still ill?" Mori asked, feeling her forehead. It was warm. As his hand lay there, it got warmer until finally Mori took it off. Haruhi stared up at him. Her eyes flickered for an instant, but then sealed themselves off again.

'I'm fine, Mori-sempai." She smiled at him. "Don't worry, okay?" He evaluated her, and then straightened. "Hm."

"I'll see you at the club, then?"

"Hm."

"Alright then."

* * *

Haruhi came into the courtyard, arms full of commoner's coffee. Tamaki had requested it today to go with the Japanese home setting. "Seriously, I'm not an errand girl anymore." She muttered crossly. "I should be in there getting ready, not buying groceries."

She tripped over a rock. "Ah!" Haruhi twisted, trying not to drop her things. A hand flashed out, pulling her against a soft body. A feminine body. "Excuse me." A finger hushed her lips gently.

"Fear not, fair maiden." A young brunette whispered to her. Her black eyes

seemed like that of a boy's. "I have protected you from damaging you pretty figure." She kissed Haruhi's cheek. With a twirl of her red skirt, she swept them both across the yard.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Haruhi asked, pushing away. The girl swept an arm dramatically across her forehead. "I am Benio Amakusa, leader of the Zuka Club!" Haruhi sweat dropped. "The Zuka Club?" she said, "What's that?"

Benio proceeded to tell her all about the club as they walked through the halls. By the time they'd reached Music Room Three, Haruhi had a pretty good idea of what she was dealing with.

'_It's a club of girls who hate men and go out with girls that is hosted at an all girl's school.' _(A/N: Sorry, but lesbian seems kinda mean. :P )

Two girls came out of the Host doors. They were dressed in the same attire as Benio. "You're from Lobelia too?" Haruhi inquired. The girls squealed, their eyes lighting up.

"Oh, Benio, wherever did you find this beautiful maiden?" a brown-eyed girl asked, fawning over Haruhi. Her hair was a light, beautiful brown, and it was very long. "I'm Chizuru." She finished, winking.

"Yes, she's very pretty, Lady Benibara." A cunning-looking girl said, sashaying up to her. Her eyes were a dark grey, like Mori's. She seemed to radiate intelligence, and to be honest, Haruhi was frightened of her.

'_She reminds me of Kyouya.'_

"I'm Hinako."

"I-I'm Haruhi." She choked out. The girls were all rather unnerving. Haruhi thought that she'd never be thinking this, but she couldn't wait to go in with the Host Club.

"Benio-sama, we've checked out the club here like you asked." Hinako spoke sharply. "It is nothing but a bunch of dumb boys." Benio nodded approvingly. "Of course they are. I expected nothing else."

Haruhi turned, her brown eyes flashing. "Excuse me?" she asked menacingly. 'What did you say?" Chizuru spoke up. "They're nothing but dumb boys, Haruhi." She tilted her head, brown locks fanning to the side. "Do you know them?"

The young host opened the door to Music Room Three. "Yes, they happen to be my friends." She stated coldly before slipping inside.

* * *

The Host Club was in chaos. Complete, utter chaos. Hani was crying on the floor, with Mori bending over him concernedly. Haruhi made her way over, avoiding broken teacups and vases. "Hani-sempai, are you alright?" She bent down, looking at the boy Lolita. A bruise was rapidly swelling on his forehead.

"They came in, and Tama-chan did his welcoming thing," Hani spoke dejectedly. "They hit him and started calling him bad names and when I tried to help, one of them hit me!" He let out a sob, clutching his bunny.

Mori rose to his feet in one fluid motion. Haruhi diverted her gaze at him. She figured out his posture in an instant. "No, Mori-sempai!" The young, vulnerable host leapt up, clutching his arm. "That won't solve anything!" Mori turned to her, eyes wild. "Haru-chan, let go of him!" Hani said from his place on the floor. His golden-brown eyes were frightened.

"Don't attack them." Haruhi spoke in a calm tone. But, it wasn't enough. Mori was beyond reasoning. He had had a nightmare, argued, and worried the entire day. And now he got to the club to see his cousin, whom he should've been with, injured.

He grabbed her arm, and threw her away from him as easily as a rag doll. Haruhi hit the opposite wall with a tremendous force. "Ah!" she yelped, clutching her arm gingerly. "Haru-chan!" Hani got up, head trauma forgotten. He raced past his cousin, who was looking at Haruhi in shock. Mori started shaking.

"Haruhi!" the twins shouted, picking her up. "Haruhi, are you alright?" Tamaki was holding her gently, staring into her eyes. They were filled with tears. Kyouya walked over, disinterested. He asked one simple question. If he hadn't asked that question that day, this drama might have been averted. Everything would've been normal.

"Why did you try to stop him?"

The others stopped their coddling. "You should've listened to Hani-sempai." Kyouya said. "It would've prevented this from happening." Tamaki smacked himself. "That's right!" He grabbed Haruhi's shoulders.

"What were you thinking?"

"He could've killed you." Tamaki said roughly. "What would we do without you?" His eyes teared. The twins spoke up, Hikaru first, Kaoru second.

"Haruhi, that was a very reckless thing to do."

"Yah, none of us can stop Mori-sempai."

Haruhi squirmed away from the now reprimanding hosts. "Gee, guys, thanks for your concern." She stood up, swaying a little. "The only one who didn't scold me was Hani-sempai." The natural host patted Hani's head. "Thank you."

She stared at all of them in turn, resting her gaze on Mori. He was still on the other side of the room, his whole frame now visibly shaking. "The Lobelia girls have offered me a scholarship to Lobelia Academy." The hosts gasped.

Hani tugged her sleeve, crying. "B-But, you're not thinking of leaving, Haru-chan?" Haruhi stared down at him. "Hani-sempai, after today's events I think I might." There was some remorse in her voice. "I'm going home now, and the club can manage without me today."

She began walking away. "I have some papers to fill out." Haruhi passed by Mori on her way out, and she stopped. She looked into his eyes. They seemed haunted, in torment, by something he could not fix. "Thank you for putting everything into perspective for me, Mori-sempai."

* * *

That did it. It broke him. It destroyed him. She was walking away just like she'd done in his nightmare. And he could find no words to say. His mind worked, and it continued to torment him.

'_I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen, I swear.'_

'_Please, don't go.'_

Hani walked up to him. He took one look at him, then turned to Kyouya. "The club is closed for today." The young boy's eyes flashed. "We have some thinking to do." Mori could only nod numbly. In his head, the nightmare was being replayed, over and over and over.

But you can't escape the things in you head.

* * *

The hosts sat down, initiating an emergency meeting. "All right, men." Tamaki began slowly, unsure of what to do. "We need to make Haruhi see that we don't want her to leave us." He met Mori's eyes. "That she's important to us."

The tall host looked away in shame. _'All my fault, I'll never forgive myself.' _Kyouya spoke up, "Well? What do we do?" He looked at Mori as well. Eventually, every boy's gaze was riveted on the dark-haired senior.

Mori lifted his gaze from the floor, staring at them. "What?" His voice was hoarse. "Why are you staring at me?" Kaoru spoke up first, hitting it right on the head.

"You are the one that hurt Haruhi."

Mori flinched.

"Yes, so we figured you'd be the one to tell us."

He began shaking again.

"Tell us how to make her stay!"

"Fix it, Mori-sempai!"

"HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW!"

Everyone jumped. Hani stood up, his little chest rising and falling heavily. "He's so shocked by what he did, he hasn't a clue!" His eyes welled up. "So...So…. Just leave him alone! Takashi would never mean to hurt Haru-chan! Ever!"

They fell silent, ashamed. Mori finally got his emotions under control, and rose. "I know what to do, but it requires cooperation." He glared at Kyouya. "A lot." And thus, he explained his plan.

'_If this doesn't work, nothing will.'_

Mori couldn't sleep at all that night.

* * *

Haruhi came to school the next day. She'd made her decision, and the paperwork was filled out in her bag. The young host had phoned Benio, and asked to spend one more day as a host. Her wish was granted, and now she stood outside Music Room Three. Her broken arm throbbed.

It seemed to know Mori was in there. Haruhi bit her lip, remembering her dad's reaction.

"_Who did this to you? I'll __kill__ them!"_

Haruhi had shrugged him off, wrapping her arm up. She stood there for a while, hand on the knob, unsure. _'I can't face them, knowing I'm leaving.'_ Brown eyes teared up. The young host took a deep breath. And opened the doors of the Host Club one more time.

The guys were all dressed in drag. I repeat, DRAG. Well, almost all of them. Mori had convinced them to let him remain a guy. Long dresses were everywhere, and makeup covered their faces. Haruhi felt her jaw drop. She was at a loss for words.

"Oh, Haruhi!" Tamaki squealed, fluttering long, fake eyelashes at her. "What do you think?" He twirled his skirt happily. It was red with a huge skirt. On his head, Tamaki had placed a long, blond wig. And one of those things on the showgirls from Vegas.

"We wanted to show you that you can have the comfort of sisterhood even in the Host Club!" Hani chirped, popping up. He looked like a little girl who'd gotten into her mother's clothing. The Lolita had even smeared lipstick on Usa-chan. "Hey, call me Big Sis from now on, 'kay?"

Haruhi burst out laughing. The twins, in their ghastly green dresses, felt smiles stretch eerily across their faces. "Yah, call us Big Sis!" they squeaked, chasing her around the room. "Go on, do it!" She was weak, unable to run and laugh at the same time.

The natural host settled for giggling in a ball on the floor. Tears were streaming down her face, and she clutched her side in amusement. When she finally recovered, Haruhi sat up, staring at the boys around her. "Well?" Kyouya asked in his dark purple dress.

"Well what, Kyouya-sempai?"

"Will you stay?" Kyouya's glasses glinted. "Of, course." Haruhi beamed, standing up. "I was never going to go." A moment of silence fell over the boys. Then….

"WHAT?"

"B-But you said..." Hani whimpered, jeopardizing his mascara. "You said you had paperwork to fill out!" Kyouya glared at her menacingly. "And that the club would do fine without you!" Tamaki and the twins said nothing, they just grabbed her. In joy, they snuggled and hugged her, not realizing that the dresses were suffocating her.

"Let go!"

The boys backed off. Haruhi glared at them. "Just because I'm not leaving doesn't mean I'm not mad!" The host ripped off their dresses, regular clothes underneath. "Why would you be mad, Haruhi?" Tamaki asked, violet eyes sad.

Haruhi pretended to contemplate it. "Maybe it was because I was thrown into a wall!" Mori flinched. "And was scolded for something that I didn't do!" This time, everyone flinched. "I mean, look, my arm is broken!" She gestured to her cast.

Hani piped up, speaking for his distressed friend. "Haru-chan! That's not fair!" He looked at her reproachfully. "Takashi never meant to hurt you! He never would." Haruhi looked at the stoic host sitting on the couch, alone. He looked heartbroken, and forlorn.

"Guys?" she whispered quietly. "Can I speak to Mori-sempai alone, please?" They all scurried out of the room, save for Hani. He put his little hand on her shoulder. "Please don't hurt him, Haru-chan." Haruhi nodded, and the blond left the room.

* * *

Haruhi started to speak, "Mori-sempai I-" Mori cut her off. "Haruhi, I'm so sorry." She gaped at him, at a loss. "I-I'd never hurt you, and it kills me that I've done it now." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you."

She stood there, unsure and feeling so stupid. _'I am so terrible!'_ Haruhi began to cry, tears slipping down her cheeks. _'I was so mad at him; I didn't realize how much it was hurting __him__.'_ "Haruhi?" Mori rose up, coming over to her. "Are you alright?" Mori grabbed her face, tilting it this way and that. "Does your arm hurt?"

Surprisingly, she laughed. Haruhi tilted her head back, and began to laugh. It was a sound of hysteria, but it was laughter. "I'm f-fine." She sobbed loudly. Mori hugged her, clasping her to his chest gently. She began to speak, voice muffled by shirt and tears. "I-I just feel so bad!" She looked up at him. "I hurt you without realizing it, and..."

Haruhi looked at his blazer. "I'm ruining your shirt." Mori smiled at her genuinely. "Don't worry." Mori thumbed her tears away gently. From now on, he was going to do everything gently, so he didn't hurt her again. Ever again.

"I'm sorry, Mori-sempai."

"No."

She pulled away slightly, eyes not comprehending. "What?" Mori let her see his emotions for once now. For this time only. There was amusement and happiness in his eyes, and Haruhi looked into them with wonder. "No more 'Mori-sempai.'" He pulled her close again. "It's Takashi from now on."

Haruhi jolted. "N-No M-Mori-sempai!" She looked at him fearfully. "Only Hani-sempai calls you that!" Mori stared into her eyes, noticing emotion there too. For once. "Only people close to me call me that." He rested his head on hers.

"And you're one of them, Haruhi."

Haruhi blushed wildly at this statement. _'Okay, this is not a love confession, Haruhi.'_ The young host took a deep breath. _'He's just like a brother I've never had.'_ "I-I-I- um….." She took another breath.

"Takashi."

Mori grinned at her. "Hm." Haruhi smacked at him, stepping out of their embrace. "I have a condition, too." The stoic host tilted his head in alarm. "No more single syllable sentences. You have got to speak more!" Haruhi smiled.

"Okay."

* * *

That's the end of the longest chapter I've ever wrote! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Their future is blooming! I'm so happy!

Tamaki: But this is incest! Danielle-chan, don't allow this!

Hikaru: Yah, what about us?

Danielle: You had your chance! *smacks them both*

BYE BYE EVERYBODY! And those of you mentioned in my author's note up there, review! Or the Lobelia Lady Lovers will eat your souls!


	5. From A Fight Comes A Realization

A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry I went on a rant last time. I kinda have been stressed and am currently sick with what I think is flu. The best part is school starts next Monday. GOD HELP US ALL! Anyways, I just wanna say thanks to all of you who've stuck with me so far. I'm glad to still being doing this story, because honestly I didn't think I would go on this long. Special thanks to Sergeant LemoOon, enchantressXofsouls, Pixieguitarbook46, Konoha-chan, Hime-chan, Poolday, donttouchmykyouya616 (luv ya girl!), 4k-san, and PureHearts. I LOVE YOU GUYS! *hugs them all*

Oh, and thanks to Tyler-chan too. Even though he HATES MorixHaruhi, he still reads my story. Even though I have to read his MorixHani stripper story. DON'T ASK.

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Five: From A Fight Comes A Realization**

A deathly pale, black-eyed creature made its way to the Host Club. It wore a crinkled uniform; hair sticking up at all angles. People stared at it in alarm, some in fear. A few girls screamed and ran away. The ghastly thing reached for the door handles. And fell over. "Damn." It muttered, rubbing its eyes.

The figure yawned, opening its eyes. Sleepy brown eyes looked around the room in dismay. _'I do __not__ wanna be here right now.'_ Haruhi yawned again, shuffling towards the couch. She began muttering to herself, massaging her temples crossly. "So sleepy… Need coffee…"

Making her way towards the caffeine machine, the host reflected on what had happened last night. After her time with Mori, or Takashi, as it would be now, Haruhi realized just how much time she'd wasted with the club. They had a final tomorrow.

She left in a hurry, then threw herself into studying. All night. Until four in the morning, the poor girl had stayed up, preparing and studying and overworrying. It was rather unnerving. As soon as she put down her pencil, Haruhi had drifted into a deep slumber.

Now, here she was, looking like hell and very irritable.

Haruhi was just reaching for the coffee….

Hikaru and Kaoru slid up behind her, each twin linking an arm around her waist. "Haruhi!" they chorused, nuzzling her cheeks in perfect unison. "Where have you been?" Hikaru asked, hugging her. "Yah, Hikaru was crazy without you!"

"Shut up! I wasn't that crazy."

The older Hitachiin blushed.

"Get off." Haruhi pushed the twins off her, glaring. "I'm very very tired and I'd appreciate if you'd stop fondling me!" They blinked at her. Within a matter of seconds, the two fled to a corner of the room. It was usually occupied by Tamaki, who seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Forgetting her coffee behind her, she made for the couch.

Haruhi flopped on it, eyes closed, peaceful.

Leaning her head against the armrest, the young girl began to slip away…..

"Haru-chaaaaaan!"

The boy Lolita poked her arm thoughtfully. "Hey Haru-chan, ya wanna have some cake with me?" Blearily, the host opened one brown eye. "I'm really sleepy, Hani-sempai."

"Oh."

Hani looked down, eyes watering. "I guess I'll just go away then." Hani began shuffling towards his table. The only thing waiting for him there was cake. And loneliness. Lots and lots of cake. But still, loneliness. "Takashi's busy….." he muttered dejectedly. Reluctantly, Haruhi sat up, rubbing her eyes with her palms.

"Hani-sempai."

He turned around, gazing at her reproachfully. "I guess I'll sit with you." The change was instantaneous. Flowers appeared in the air, and Hani leaped into her arms, overjoyed. "Yaaaaaaaay!"

The twins materialized.

"Hey, how come you were so nice to him?"

Haruhi turned around, arms full of Hani. "He's not annoying." The twins whimpered, returning to their corner. The other two hosts proceeded to Hani's little table. Cakes of every flavor and assortment overflowed on the wooden surface. Haruhi dropped her jaw in shock.

"Ya know, if you eat all that, you'll get a cavity."

Hani shook his head back and forth slowly, smiling. He looked like a little blond puppy. "Mmhm-mhm." His eyes shined. "I always brush my teeth, silly." Haruhi looked at him over a mountain of sweets. "Where's Mori-sempai?" She winced.

'_We had a moment, I'm almost sure.'_

Haruhi smiled. Then felt her face freeze. _'Dammit, Haruhi, we've been through this!' _The young host mentally counted them down in her head.

'_Just because he accidentally kissed me means nothing.'_

'_He's like a brother to me, that's __it__.'_

'_I am __not__ in love with Mori-sempai.' _

"Haru-chan? Hello?"

Haruhi snapped out of her reverie. "Sorry, Hani-sempai, what?" Hani giggled loudly. "I said Takashi was getting more contacts for the club room." She smiled at her second favorite host.

"That's thoughtful."

"Uh-huh!"

Haruhi suddenly remembered something. _'Takashi, that's right.' _The young host thought about last night for a minute.

"_No more, 'Mori-sempai.'"_

"_It's Takashi from now on." _

Haruhi blushed again at the memory. She mentally slapped herself. _'I can't love Mori-sempai.' _The thought made her a little sadder.

Tamaki flounced into the room. "Haruhi!" he proclaimed, wrapping his arms around her. "My dearest daughter, I've missed you!" Kyouya followed shortly after, typing on his laptop.

Haruhi pinched his arm, making him let go slowly. "Go play with Mommy, I'm tired." He gasped in pain. "Mommy, Haruhi's being mean!" Kyouya looked up. His eyes were filled with evil and no love. At all.

"Tamaki, I really don't care."

In the next two seconds, Tamaki had joined the twins. They sat angrily around a fire that had materialized, grumbling about females. Kyouya sighed, going back to his laptop without a care.

Haruhi continued to stare at the door, wondering when Mori would come back. She hated to admit it to herself, but she missed him. He was peaceful. There was no chaos when she was with him. It was serene and calming.

The host felt her eyelids began to droop.

'_No…'_

'_Stay…'_

'_Awake….' _

* * *

She woke up on the couch, a blanket on her. It smelled nice. It smelled like… like…. _'What __does__ it smell like?' _Haruhi sniffed it delicately, eyes closed.

'_Strawberries.'_

She smiled, and that's when she began to hear the voices. Not inside her head, of course. Haruhi was perfectly sane, for the most part. No, these were disembodied voices, coming to her from a great distance. But, they were getting closer, and it annoyed her.

"It's almost time. We need to wake her up now."

"C'mon, Kyou-chan, let her sleep."

"Haruhi looks so precious!"

The girl snuggled down into the blanket, determined to escape the voices. Haruhi moved her mouth, tongue heavy.

"Go away, I'm not awake yet."

Only in her current condition, it sounded like, _Go 'way, em nah awak yeh._ A small hand tugged on her uninjured arm. "Yes you are!" Haruhi groaned, sitting up. A little yawn escaped her mouth.

"What do you guys want?"

Haruhi opened her eyes. The entire Host Club was there, staring at her. The room swam for a second or two. It focused. She stood up, swaying slightly and smiling. Mori was back.

"Hey look everybody, Mori-sempai's here." The still sleepy girl stumbled over to him, nearly knocking herself over. Mori reached out, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. "Woah, watch it there big guy." She smiled up at the senior.

"Hey, Mori-sempai."

"Hm."

"How ya been?"

"Hm."

"That's just WONDERFUL.."

(A/N: Haruhi acts drunk when sleepy in this story! WARNING. XD )

"Haruhi?"

Kyouya looked at her sternly. "Are you intoxicated at this present time?" She giggled in a very un-Haruhi like fashion. "No, I'm just sleepy, silly." The hosts gaped at her. Kyouya dropped his laptop. No one called Kyouya silly. It was unheard of.

A dark cloud started to swirl above the cool host's head.

Hikaru rescued her quickly, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Ha, ha, okay, why don't we just get you some coffee?" He motioned for his twin. "Kaoru, help me out here." The younger Hitachiin chuckled nervously.

Minutes later, the natural host sat on the couch, quietly drinking her coffee. A figure sat down next to her. "Hello, Tamaki-sempai." He clasped her hand in one of his.

"Are you feeling better, Haruhi?"

"Much better, thank you."

He smiled at her.

"That's great. I just want you to know that I care about you very much, Haruhi."

Haruhi stood up, grabbing her cup. "Okay, bye sempai." Tamaki turned white.

'_She is so cold!_

'_I don't think she quite realized that was a love confession.' _

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up, holding a giant arrow. It flashed and pointed at the King, saying one simple word in big, bold letters.

REJECTED.

"Rejected!" they chimed. "I guess it's our turn now," they glared evilly at Tamaki, "isn't it, Tono?"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Mori sat with Hani, thinking hard. His grey eyes glazed over in concentration. He was thinking about a certain host. A host not too far away from him. The tall, brooding senior was confused.

'_What's wrong with her today?'_

'_Is she just going to act like nothing happened?' _

'_She chose not to call you Takashi, she doesn't like you.'_

'_It's probably because you threw her into a wall, stupid.'_

'_Wait a minute.'_

Mori stiffened.

'_Why is this __bothering__ me so much?'_

"Excuse us, ladies!" All the girls seated at their table giggled. "Of course, Hani, you're so cute!" Hani led his cousin over to a corner of the room. "Takashi," Hani whispered, tiny forehead creasing. "What's wrong?"

"…." The tall senior looked over at a table.

"Is it Haru-chan again?"

"Yes." The boy Lolita suddenly began giggling, hugging Usa-chan tight. "?" Mori looked at his cousin. It seemed he'd gone crazy. "Takashi, I have a theory!"

"…"

"How much have you been thinking about Haru-chan lately?"

His eyebrows furrowed, not comprehending. "A… lot?" Hani nodded, satisfied.

"And do you think Haru-chan's cute?"

"….."

"Aw, c'mon Takashi, you can tell me."

Mori squirmed uncomfortably. "Ummm…." He felt his face flood. _'Damn.'_ "I guess so."

"Okaaaaaaaay?"

* * *

Hani waited. He waited to see Takashi's eyes brighten up when he finally figured it out. The little senior could almost see the gears in his cousin's head turning.

Hani knew the truth in all this. He may have been a blonde, but he knew what was happening here.

Takashi and Haru-chan were in love with each other. It was as plain as the sun during the day and the moon at night. Both of them had fallen in love during her short time here at the club. It was quite amazing actually.

Takashi was quiet.

Haru-chan spoke frequently, constantly.

Takashi did a pretty good job of being devoid of emotion.

Haru-chan let everything she felt run free.

It seemed like an unlikely pair, but then again, that was just how things happened at Ouran.

Hopefully Takashi would realize it soon.

He watched his cousin, slowly becoming irritated. _'How long can it take someone to figure out something so simple?'_ Hani looked at his watch. It was decorated with lots of bunnies. It had been five whole minutes, and still Takashi hadn't caught on.

"Takashi, do you like Haru-chan?"

His cousin blinked, as if coming back to reality.

"Yeah. She's like a little sister."

Hani smacked his forehead in amazement. _'Wow. Just wow, Takashi.'_

The boy Lolita patiently took in a deep breath. "No, Takashi. I didn't mean it like that, silly!" He thought of a way to say this right. You have to let someone know this gently, or the whole thing falls apart. Instead, Hani just blurted it.

"Are you in love with Haru-chan?"

Mori jolted. He looked at his cousin in amazement. For the first time, he felt something like anger towards him. It was completely unexpected. The normally stoic senior's eyes flashed.

"Mitsukuni."

Hani looked up at him, eyes welling. "I'm going for a walk." Mori headed for the door silently. He might not have said it out loud, but his meaning was clear. Even if he had painted it on the wall in black, Mitsukuni would understand it.

When Mori went for a walk it only meant one thing.

'_I'm angry with you and don't need you coming near me.'_

The door slammed, surprisingly loud and final.

* * *

Haruhi looked up, snapped out of her hosting. Something was wrong. She could feel it, in the hosts, in the customers, even in the air. Tension was everywhere. The door had just slammed shut. And had left behind a teary-eyed, shell-shocked Hani-sempai.

The young host made eye contact with Kyouya, a question evident in her eyes. The Shadow King nodded, and raised his voice. "Unfortunately, the Host Club must close early for the day, mademoiselles." He smiled. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

After the last girl had unwillingly shut the door, Haruhi did something she'd never done before. She ran over to Hani-sempai. And hugged him tightly. Through his tears, the boy Lolita let out a yelp of surprise.

"Hani-sempai, you okay?"

"Yeah, you don't look so good."

Hani let out a wail, burying his face in Haruhi's shoulder. This, she wasn't prepared for. "Um…. Hani-sempai?" He let go of her, grabbing Usa-chan off the floor. He looked at him depressingly.

"T-Takashi's mad at m-me."

Haruhi jumped, not expecting this. What could Hani-sempai do to make Mori-sempai angry with him? To reduce Hani-sempai to the verge of tears? It was astounding, and the girl could not see how Hani-sempai, of all people, could get someone mad at him.

"Well, what happened?"

Hani-sempai averted her eyes.

"Takashi and me were talking about something….

I guess he didn't like what I asked him, cuz when I looked at him…."

Hani-sempai shivered delicately.

"He looked so mad. And confused…"

The blonde began to cry again.

"I don't know what to do!"

Haruhi looked at the other Host Club members. They were just standing around doing nothing. Truly, cruelly, absolutely NOTHING. They all just looked at her with blank stares. As if they were helpless.

"What?" she rose up, staring them down. Or rather, up. "Why are you guys acting like this has never happened before?" Most of them looked away, ashamed or at a loss for words. Kaoru finally spoke up.

"It never has happened before, Haruhi."

"Yeah, Mori-sempai and Hani-sempai never fight."

"Well, men!" Tamaki said, looking around at all of them, "Looks like we have to go find Mori-sempai!" He rested his gaze on Haruhi.

"Oh, oops." He amended his words. "I mean everyone except Haruhi."

Haruhi stared at him, eyes blazing. "Why the hell can't I help too?"

"You can't exactly deal with an angry Mori-sempai, Haruhi."

Kyouya looked up at her from his PineApple. "I thought we'd settled that issue last chapter?"

"DAMMIT!"

Haruhi took in a deep breath, steadying herself. "No, I mean." She went for the door. "I'm going you guys, no exceptions."

And with those parting words, the young host walked out the door.

* * *

"HARUHI!"

It all turned into a mass of confusion. Mitsukuni didn't know what to do or think. Tama-chan and the twins were shouting, and trying to get to the door. _'Oh, crap.'_

'_I just realized something.'_

His golden brown eyes flashed. The boy Lolita planted himself in front of the door, daring them to move him. If they tried, it would be too easy to throw them. Way too easy.

* * *

Mori had raced through all the hallways, running towards a place he knew all too well. It was his safe haven, an area of peace for him. He stared at the buildings passing by without really seeing them. There was too much on his mind right now.

'_In love?'_

'_With Haruhi?'_

Mori shook his head violently. That couldn't be true. It couldn't be. The tall senior gave a sigh of relief when the buildings faded away. The splendor was gone. All around him stood dilapidated school buildings. This was Takashi Morinozuka's safe place.

Broken marble columns lay splintered on the ground. Mori had used to come here whenever he'd gotten angry at the world. The marble at his feet was proof of that. He broke down next to it, holding his head. Just thinking.

This place showed just how unstable he was. If he couldn't think carefully enough, he hurt things. He hurt people. Mori remembered throwing Haruhi. She'd flown too easily, hit the wall too hard. The senior winced.

'_Haruhi.'_

She'd come into his life, and suddenly everything changed. He'd grown apart from Mitsukuni. He'd been more active in the Host Club. Most importantly, he had become more active. More of a person.

But still…

Loving someone has beyond his abilities.

He just couldn't do it.

At this thought, Mori became hostile. He may have gone a little crazy. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Mori turned on the radio. Music had always soothed him, even as a child. The station he loved most came on.

But the song was far from soothing.

'_Somebody get me through this nightmare!'_

'_I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF!' _

That was it.

Takashi Morinozuka lost it.

He was tired of being calm, so peaceful all the time.

The kendo master picked up the large remains of a column.

'_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?' _

'_No one will ever change this animal I have become.' _

It shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

Denting the concrete.

Next was a large stone bench.

'_I can't escape myself…'_

Broke in half with a kick of his foot.

"How could I ever love anyone?" he muttered to himself, punching in a wall. "It's impossible! It's a physiological impossibility!"

The concrete cut open his knuckles.

Leaving blood on the wall.

'_Somebody help me tame this animal I have become!'_

'_Help me believe, it's not the real me.'_

"I've got so many problems anyways." Mori sat down. He looked at his knuckles in irritability. Slumping his head against the wall, he talked more now than he ever had in his entire life. To a wall. He crushed his cellphone in one large hand. Ending the song.

Temporarily ending the torture.

'_I don't mean to be like this.'_

'_It's just that I've grown accustomed to everyone staying away from me.' _

'_It's become my life.'_

And now, here came this girl, showing up and taking everything on the spot. It made him so frustrated. Haruhi, she wouldn't stay away from him. He'd thrown her into a wall, and still she came back. He'd broken her arm.

And still she came back.

Mori couldn't understand it. She'd taken away his stoicism, possible even his sanity. How? How was that even possible? One girl, one simple girl he could injure, possibly kill so easily, managed to change him.

Haruhi had confused him. He was stuck between being an introvert and having normal relationships. She'd hurt him mentally enough to the point where he couldn't see. It was amazing.

That one person could make him feel so alive.

So normal.

So complete.

A noise came from in front of him. Mori raised his head, just barely. He was out of energy. Drained, completely spent. A dark figure was in front of him. A lithe, tiny figure. His breath caught.

'_Please tell me she didn't see all this.'_

* * *

Haruhi crouched in front of him. She reached for his hand, but he withdrew, brow creasing. "Takashi, if you don't give me your hand, I can't look at it." Mori let out a breath. _'Takashi?' _Hesitantly, he placed his hand in hers.

"You called me Takashi."

"Well of course I did. That's your name, isn't it?"

Mori stuttered, thinking back. "But, the others-" Haruhi surprised him by looking up. Right into his eyes.

"I didn't know if you wanted me to call you that in front of them."

Mori blinked.

'_She has such beautiful eyes.' _

The thought was not unwelcome this time.

Haruhi blushed a little, barely visible in the fading sunlight.

'_He really is handsome.' _

She distracted herself, looking at his knuckles.

"You scratched these up pretty good."

"…."

Haruhi began bandaging his hand with some of the wrap in her bag. She felt lucky that she had some. Takashi watched her, each moment getting more and more curious.

"Why didn't you run?"

Haruhi stopped. There was that look again. The _I don't want you to know what I'm thinking _look.

"Why would I?"

Takashi jumped up, startling the poor girl. "You just watched me lose control!" He began breathing heavily. "I destroyed things in front of you so easily!"

He grabbed her arm, the one in the cast. Gently. "I hurt you so easily." Takashi kissed her cast lightly.

"And still, you're not afraid of me. You haven't run away yet."

Haruhi stared into his eyes fearlessly.

"Takashi Morinozuka, I am not afraid of you."

Takashi took in a breath sharply.

"You're not afraid?"

A moment of silence.

The sun sank behind the clock tower.

"No."

'_She's not afraid of you.'_

Takashi felt a sense of euphoria course through his veins.

The tall host moved closer in.

Leaning down.

Their noses were just barely touching.

Their lips…

Inches apart…

"Takashi…." Haruhi breathed softly.

* * *

"HEY GUYS!"

The silence was shattered.

The two hosts jumped about a foot away from each other. The rest of the Host Club was making their way towards them. "Takashi!" Hani yelled, running at him. "I knew I'd find you here!"

Wailing, the blonde launched himself into Takashi's arms. "I'm sorry!" he sobbed, "I'll never bring it up again! I promise!"

"Mitsukuni."

Hani stopped crying.

"It's okay."

His eyes light up.

"You're not mad anymore?"

Takashi glanced at Haruhi being glomped by the twins.

"No."

Hani smiled, giggling, demanding to be put on the ground. Takashi obliged.

Haruhi looked around at the courtyard before her. It was ruined, badly damaged. But there was a sense of peace. Tranquility was king here.

She looked up at the moon.

It was shining such a wonderful color.

Silver.

The stars around it as well, and everything bathed in the moonlight tonight.

They were all silver.

Haruhi realized how beautiful the color silver could be.

It wasn't grey.

It was silver.

Like a certain someone's eyes.

* * *

This is going to satsify you all for a while, I think. I have school, so I don't know when I'll be back. But I WILL be back.

Love you all

Danielle-chan


	6. Where Do We Go From Here?

You guys wanted one more chapter so here it is! I guess. I'm going through writer's block AND freshman year right now! First week of high school is hell.

**New thing:**

'_Thoughts thought by two or more people at the time.'_

"Words said by two or more people at the same time."

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Six: Where Do We Go From Here? **

'_Where do we go from here?'_

This question has been asked several times throughout the ages. By every culture, by every gender. By ever single living thing on this planet. Though it's a pretty common question, it's far from common when it's asked. There are only three reasons that someone would ask that question to another.

This is the first.

Two friends have mistakenly kissed each other at a time of weakness.

'_Where do we go from here?'_ they think to themselves on the long journey home.

The second.

A couple has recently broken up. They used to be comfortable with each other.

Now they're not.

'_Where do we go from here?' _one wonders as the other drives away.

And finally, the third.

Two people see each other a lot.

They've become acquainted.

A newly found love is surprisingly stumbled upon.

The two people realize it.

Nearly kiss in a moment of weakness and desperation.

Now these two think the big question.

The one we all ask ourselves eventually, one way or another.

'_Where do we go from here?'_

* * *

Takashi Morinozuka looks up. He heard the door open. Hesitantly. As if whoever it is fearful of what they'll find behind the door. They have a right to be. Oh, God they have a right to be frightened. To be nervous.

To be unsure.

He feels just the same way. Just as scared, just as unsure. Takashi is just as afraid of the change. The change that occurred but a few days ago. A complication that none of them saw coming.

They'd fallen in love.

That had to be it. Why else would she stir up these feelings inside him? At the sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. At the feel of her cheek, her skin. Her entire being. All of this caused his heart to flutter and his mind to cloud.

Oh, her beautiful eyes…

Such a lovely, soft, almost tender brown….

Takashi blushed, just a little. A faint pink tinged his cheeks. _'No, try to act normal. You had no problem doing it before.' _Yes. That was true. But, he hadn't been in love with her before. He forced himself to look over at her.

At Haruhi.

* * *

Brown eyes looked at silver ones. They were silver now. Never again would they be grey in her eyes. Never, ever again. Haruhi blushed a pretty red color, looking away. _'What do I do?' _she thought, asking for help.

Her alter ego wanted to do only one thing.

And that was to run to Takashi, arms wide.

And kiss him passionately with reckless abandon.

They were the only ones in the room.

'_No, no! Dammit! I can't have a boyfriend!' _

Haruhi shook her head, trying to clear it.

But images kept coming back.

His silver eyes, gazing down at her with affection.

For once.

An emotion, so carefully drawn out of him.

Takashi, leaning down.

Drawing nearer.

Their lips nearly meeting…

* * *

Haruhi jumped, shocking back to reality. _'No. I can't have those feelings.' _She frowned a little, mouth drawing down unhappily. The natural host sat down on a nearby couch. Far away enough from Takashi. It didn't make her feel as crazy.

'_Say something, please.'_

"W-Where's the rest of the Host Club?"

"We're off today."

'_Oh.'_

"Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Nope."

They sat there for a while, uncomfortable. Haruhi patted her legs, following the beat from a song.

"So…" she began awkwardly.

Takashi looked over at her.

"Hmm?"

A long awkward silence.

"How's your hand?"

Takashi glanced at his knuckles. They had finally begun to scab over, which was a good thing. It meant that he no longer required bandages. Which also meant no more people asking how he was.

He let out a relieved sigh.

"Fine."

Another pause.

"How's your arm?"

Haruhi waved at him, using her right hand. It was finally healed. Completely. Of course Haruhi had kept the cast. Every single Host Club member had signed it, even some sympathetic guests.

"Pretty good actually!"

He smiled.

Haruhi felt her heart skip a beat.

"So, um…."

They looked at each other, trying to understand.

'How do I bring this up?'

"Haruhi, I-"

"Takashi, I-"

They stopped.

"You go first."

Haruhi bit her lip, indecisive.

"Haruhi, I, um, I don't know what to make of this."

She let out a shaky breath.

"Neither do I."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Takashi abruptly rose. He slowly walked over to Haruhi. The tall senior sat next to her.

Haruhi shrunk back a little, blushing furiously.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Shrink away from me now whenever I get close."

The girl paled.

"You make me nervous, actually." Haruhi giggled nervously. Here she was, actually discussing these things. With a guy. A guy she'd fallen in love with.

Takashi jumped. _'That's strange.'_ He chose his next words somewhat carefully. This conversation was a delicate web. One wrong move, and the whole thing could tangle. Or rip apart violently.

"You make me nervous, too."

Brown eyes widened in surprise.

"How?"

He let out a breath. This was also a foreign experience to the senior. No one knew what he was thinking. No one ever conversed with him before.

Except Mitsukuni.

"You know how faithful I am to Mitsukuni."

The girl nodded slightly, puzzled.

"It's just lately, when I've been around you, I-I-"

He stopped. Takashi was scared. He'd never taken it this far with another human being. It was jumping down a canyon. You were unsure of what lay at the bottom. How it would end. So many things that could go wrong.

Haruhi laid a hand on his shoulder. He was shaking a little. Just a little. It worried her. Then she spoke the words that would assure him, one day become a tradition with them.

"Takashi, it's okay. Don't be scared with me."

The senior jumped under her touch. Under her words. He felt the nearly overwhelming urge to kiss her. To forget about Mitsukuni, to be selfish for once. To be happy.

"I can't abandon him. He needs me."

Haruhi nodded understandingly. Though inside, her heart was breaking just a little. Pieces were falling away, flaking off. She swallowed some tears. _'You're brave, you stupid girl. Stop it.' _

Takashi continued speaking.

Little did she know that these words were hurting him just as much as her.

"I can't do this, Haruhi. I really want to, but-"

The senior fell silent.

"It's just about him."

Takashi looked at her, drawing in a sharp breath.

"He's the reason you can't form normal relationships. I understand that." Haruhi looked at him bravely. "You've never tried to love anyone else before, because you're afraid."

"You're so afraid that the minute you leave him, he'll find someone else. And," At this sentence, Haruhi looked down into her lap. "If things don't go well, you're worried you'll be alone." She traced patterns on her pants with a finger.

"Have you ever asked Hani-sempai how he feels about this? What has he told you?"

'_He's told me that I need friends. Relationships. That he can take care of himself.'_

"He's probably told you he can take care of himself."

At these words, Haruhi looked up at Takashi again. Into his silver eyes. Right now, they betrayed him. In that moment, she saw confusion, hurt, and affection play across his features.

"But still you worry."

She held his gaze, unwavering. "Hani-sempai wants you to be happy. He wants you to have a life." Her words stayed normal, but there was a cold air behind them. "But all you're doing is desperately hanging on to him. That seems pretty selfish to me."

Takashi jerked.

He felt his self-control slowly ebbing away.

"How could you say that?"

In an instant, he pinned her against the couch. With both knees on either side of her legs, Takashi pressed her thin wrists against the fabric. Haruhi paled a little. "W-What are you doing?"

"How could you say I'm selfish? I've devoted my whole life to Mitsukuni."

He whispered down at her, hurt and angry. "I've never done anything else. Ever. How is that selfish in your eyes?" Takashi hovered above Haruhi, waiting for an answer. He reminded himself of how fragile she was. How easily she could break.

"You're using him, Takashi."

Hands squeezed wrists harder.

"He's an excuse to not bond with people. It's an act."

Harder.

"It is selfish of you to use Hani-sempai that way."

Even harder.

"It's not because of him. It's because you're fearful."

_Snap._

* * *

Haruhi swallowed back a scream. Her arm jerked reflexively. "Ah!" A little gasp escaped her lips. Takashi reeled back, looking at his hands in dismay. He clutched his hair, shutting his eyes. Willing anything to drown out those little sobs.

The sobs he had caused.

Yet again, he'd done it.

He'd hurt her.

He had sworn he would protect her from anything.

How could he protect her from himself?

"Oh, God. Oh, God. I'm sorry. Please. I-I-I-" He didn't realize he was the one talking. Takashi was filled with the deepest regret. This was stronger than the time he'd thrown her. So much stronger. He swallowed bile rising in his throat.

"What is wrong with me? Oh God, I need help."

Something wet fell on his cheek.

Something warm.

Tears.

He was crying.

Never, ever, ever had he cried before.

Was Haruhi even there anymore?

* * *

Haruhi cradled her wrist to her chest, sobbing quietly. It hurt, of course. How could it not? Sharp waves of pain rolled across her lower arm. She looked at Takashi through a haze of tears. He was talking. Whether to himself or her, she didn't know.

Haruhi made up her mind to leave.

But then…..

She saw him crying.

Just barely perceptible.

But still, crying.

Haruhi bit her lip again. At this rate, she was going to have bleeding lips. Yep, there it was. A string of copper-tasting liquid slipped into her mouth.

Takashi had hurt her, yes. But, like the time before, it had been an accident. He was the calmest person she ever knew. He never purposely hurt her. And Haruhi was sure he never would. It was just….

He was frightened.

So was she.

When people are frightened, they react like animals. Lashing out at others, trying to escape. Trying to run. That's what Takashi was doing. Trying to run.

'_Takashi…..' _

She let out a little sigh. In a weird sort of way, she wasn't mad at him anymore. She couldn't be. Not when he beat himself up about it so much. Her wrist didn't hurt anymore. Haruhi forgot all about it.

The girl sat down again.

Next to him.

The boy she'd somehow fallen in love with.

Gently, she attempted to pry his hands from his face. No response. Again, ignoring the pain in her wrist, Haruhi tugged harder. "Takashi." A grunt.

"Please."

Hands pulled away from silver eyes.

They fell into their laps, and Haruhi held them in her own.

"Listen to me."

Nothing.

"Takashi, please!"

Silver met brown.

Pain matched for pain.

"C'mon. Don't do that. Look." Haruhi held up their conjoined hands, showing off her wrist. "It's fine." Takashi's eyes widened.

"What?"

Haruhi looked down as well, eyes growing just as big.

Dark, hand-shaped bruises had shown up on her pale skin. Takashi cried a little again, collapsing.

"Oh, God."

"No, no! Don't worry! Don't worry!" She said frantically, thumbing away his tears. There seemed to be so many of them.

"I'm fine, dammit!" Haruhi finally cried, exasperated.

A long silence.

Then, an unexpected pull.

* * *

Takashi grabbed Haruhi and sat her on his lap, looping one long arm around her shoulders. He rested his chin on top of her head, eyes closed. Haruhi tensed up, confused. Eventually, she got used to the position and laid her head against his chest.

She could hear it.

The sound of his heartbeat.

It was wonderful.

The lull of a lullaby.

The tick of a clock.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. The vibrations tickled Haruhi's ear. "Don't worry. I know you'd never purposely hurt me." Takashi chuckled nervously at that.

"Shhhh… No more noise."

They didn't kiss.

No one surrendered that night.

They fell asleep that way, embracing each other.

Maybe the sign of a new relationship.

But, they would see.

* * *

Takashi woke first, silver eyes blinking sleepily. His back felt stiff. And his chin was on something furry. The tall senior looked down.

Haruhi was curled up against his chest, sleeping soundly.

Haruhi.

Her wrist.

Mitsukuni.

Everything came flooding back in an instant.

He didn't want to wake her.

Carefully, Takashi lifted Haruhi off his lap.

Minutes later, she was on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her.

Takashi smiled down at her. Tentatively, he brushed her hair back from her face. She looked so beautiful. Like an angel. Haruhi smiled in her sleep, leaning into his hand. "Takashi…" she mumbled sleepily.

He leaned down.

Kissing her cheek softly as to not wake her.

She muttered his name again.

"Sweet dreams, Haruhi-koi."

And with that, Takashi walked out of the room.

He didn't notice the rapidly approaching clouds.

Nor did he comprehend what they meant.

* * *

Dun, dun, DUN! Ooooo, cliffy! Sorry you guys, I had to. The opportunity was too good to pass up. *flings arms over head* Don't kill me!

-Koi is an honorific used between boyfriends and girlfriends. :)

So, you guys wanted the romance to build up. I'd say it did, didn't you? Hmmmm? Well, I hope so. You ask, and you shall receive. You have received. Now, be happy! XD

And review.

Lots of love always,

- Danielle-chan


	7. I'll Be There For You Through It All

Whoooooooo! The freshman author is back again! Second week of high school over and done! I'M STILL ALIVE! I cannot stress how awesome this feels. Either way I love you all so much for sticking with the story as long as you have. A thousand hits baby! It feels so great! Thank you all so much for this time. I'm debating on this being the last chapter, but I'm not so sure. I love this couple, but seven chapters don't seem like that much. So, they might be around a while longer…..

Anyways, here we go for the long-awaited ending to the cliffy!

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Seven: I'll Be There For You Through It All **

CRASH!

Haruhi woke with a start. Her eyes opened, confused and wide. Fingers fumbled for a blazer, a warm chest, a hand. Nothing. Her wrist throbbed, and Haruhi sat upright quickly. Memories came back in a flood.

Takashi.

Breaking her wrist.

Accidentally.

Falling asleep in his arms.

The girl blushed, cradling her wrist. If she wasn't careful, it would set wrong. Haruhi got up, blanket falling off her. It was too late to go home. She yawned, taking her blazer off. She had a thin, white tank top on underneath it, thankfully. _'I'll sleep in this.'_ Walking towards the back room, a sound was heard.

crash.

Haruhi froze.

Crash.

The blood drained from her face.

CRASH!

The young girl began to shake all over.

KABOOM!

Haruhi screamed, covering her ears. She shut her eyes, willing away the noises. Carefully, she felt for a table. Fingers felt hard, smooth wood. Within a matter of seconds, Haruhi was under it, shaking. Curled up into a ball of tears and fright.

'_I'm scared.'_

The thunder got louder.

'_Somebody, help me.' _

Lightening illuminated the tablecloth.

And she screamed again.

Because no one could help her.

No one ever did.

She was alone.

Tears oozed from brown eyes.

* * *

The rain fell down his broad back, soaking his blazer. This storm was fierce, worse than usual. Takashi ran along the road, eager to climb in bed. He wanted to sleep. It had been a pretty rough day. Lightening illuminated the world around him.

He froze.

Comprehension dawned in his silver eyes.

Haruhi's wrist was still set wrong.

(A/N: Wooooooow, nice job there, Takashi.)

It couldn't set like that.

Takashi began backtracking hurriedly, running back to Ouran. Haruhi needed him. He was struck by a flashback. Something else that needed to be addressed.

_Haruhi dug her fingernails into his side in fear. She was afraid of thunder and lightening. _

She was afraid of thunder and lightening.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Takashi yelled, running full tilt towards the school. _'God dammit, I always seem to screw up with her!' _He yelled his frustration. The door was locked after hours, but the kendo champion kicked it in furiously.

'_Wait.'_

An inner voice spoke to him.

'_Takashi, you have to calm down. If you go in there like that, you could hurt her again.' _

He froze, looking at his hands. Forever would he be wracked with guilt. It would haunt him for a long time. Everytime he said he'd never hurt her.

Everytime he'd broken that promise.

Takashi took in a deep breath.

Slowing his heartbeat.

Calming his mind.

Calm.

He inhaled one more time. And now, he focused on one thought and one alone.

'_Haruhi.'_

* * *

She cowered under the table, sobbing. Loud, hiccupping sobs of absolute terror. This storm was by far the worst. Nothing could compare to it. Thunder rumbled again and she cried out, louder. Every tremor made it worse. Haruhi hated feeling helpless.

It had been okay when she was younger.

She'd crawled in bed with her mother and fell asleep.

But she was dead.

Haruhi let out another sob, this time in grief. No one would ever comfort her from a storm again. No arms would hold her close. No voice tell her it's alright. She would forever endure this alone.

Always alone.

CRASH!

She froze.

'_That was a loud thunder clap.'_

It was the only coherent thought she could muster.

It was much louder than the others.

The tablecloth fluttered slightly.

'_THE WINDOW'S BROKEN!'_

Haruhi screamed, this her loudest one yet. The lightening would get inside now. She couldn't move.

Numb.

Traumatized.

Unable to run, and now, unable to hide.

Your fears always find you somehow.

She closed her eyes….

A voice sounded out of her hell.

"Haruhi."

Her eyelids trembled, desperate to move. Haruhi wouldn't let them open. Lightening raced beneath her closed eyes, frying her brain.

"Haruhi."

Louder this time.

'_I'm hearing things now, I've gone crazy, I've finally lost it.' _

"Haruhi!"

Reluctantly, brown eyes opened.

They met silver ones.

Tear-filled met concerned.

"T-T-T-"

Thunder boomed.

And Haruhi cried out once more.

* * *

"Oh God." Takashi grabbed her face gently. _'Gently, Takashi, remember that.' _He felt her every twitch and shudder. "Haruhi….." He leaned in urgently, staring at her. "Open your eyes." Nothing.

"Please."

A shaky intake of breath.

"I-I-I c-can't."

Takashi breathed out slowly. And began to stand. Haruhi's eyes flew open in panic and alarm. One hand snaked out to clutch his frantically. The other was cradled to her chest. Her lips trembled, and the hand holding his shook.

"P-Please don't g-go."

He crouched down again.

Grabbed her face again.

"I am not leaving you. I would never leave you." He stared at her intently. "Don't you know that?"

Brown eyes widened in wonder.

"I'm making this easier on you."

He offered her a genuine smile.

"Try to relax and calm down."

Takashi ran around the room. Hurriedly, he began to close the curtains. The room faded from gray to black. No lightening flashed through. "Thank God for thick curtains." he muttered.

Next was the closet.

He grabbed an armful of blankets and set them on the floor.

Grabbing a couch, Takashi flipped it upside down.

He did the same thing to the other one.

Finally, he placed the two together, bottoms providing the top of the makeshift fort. Takashi sweat dropped. He'd never been good at forts. They'd always fallen down.

If this fort fell down, he'd just prop it up.

Before it crushed Haruhi.

The tall senior arranged the blankets in a way he hoped was comfortable. He stopped, and listened. The sobs under the table had quelled some. That was a good sign. Cautiously, Takashi peeked under the tablecloth.

"Haruhi?"

The young host had sat upright, hunched over slightly. Her broken wrist lay in her lap. The other encircled her knees. The brown eyes he'd come to love so much were open.

But, still.

Filled with tears.

Oh, how he hated to see her cry.

It broke his heart.

The heart he thought he didn't have.

His eyes zeroed in on her wrist. "Give me your hand." Haruhi hesitantly reached out, grasping his hand. "No, Haruhi, your wrist." She blinked, and switched hands. Takashi examined it thoroughly.

The bruises were still there.

His hands.

Takashi closed his eyes in pain, swallowing thickly.

"T-Takashi."

Silver eyes opened.

Met brown again.

There was forgiveness in them.

"It's not your fault."

He didn't speak, just bandaged her hand and put a brace on it.

And swallowed again.

A huge lump was in his throat.

He tried to clear it.

"Come out. Please."

Takashi grasped her hand, gently tugging on it. It felt good. Her hand in his. It somehow felt right. _'I __am__ in love with her.' _His face warmed. It felt strange to admit it to himself.

Lightening cackled outside the windows.

* * *

Haruhi leaped up, throwing her arms around him in fear. Takashi caught her half-way, embracing her. "Don't worry, Haruhi. I won't let you be alone again." Tears leaked on to his already soaked blazer. Her grip on him tightened.

"You're soaking wet."

Takashi chuckled.

"Take off your blazer."

"Excuse me?" The tall senior looked down incredulously. Haruhi stared right back up at him. She blushed, catching the meaning of her words. "I mean, your shirt probably isn't soaked." The young host plucked at the blazer.

"These are thick."

"Ah."

Takashi shrugged it off, discarding it on the floor. "Do you feel better?" Haruhi nodded, then jumped at the noise outside. "Kind of."

The thunder suddenly picked up, coming faster and faster.

"Oh c-c-crap!" Haruhi began to cry again. Takashi reached out, grabbing her hand. "It's okay." He pulled her towards the makeshift fort.

"Look."

"You can sleep there."

Haruhi tried to respond and failed. The young girl began to shake again. Then, she turned towards the boy she'd fallen for.

"Will you stay with me?"

Takashi froze.

"Please."

"I-I-I-"

Lightening crackled.

Haruhi didn't wait for an answer.

She jumped headfirst into the fort, curling up again.

* * *

His muscles unlocked. They unfroze. Carefully, Takashi kneeled down, crawling into the small space. "Haruhi?" The shaking mass didn't respond. "Relax. You're okay, I promise." Slowly, Haruhi uncurled, wrapping the blankets around her. Her hands remained fisted against her ears.

Eyes closed.

Scared as hell.

Takashi sighed, crawling next to her. He moved under the blankets, and stared into her face. Tears ran down it. He placed a hand on her cheek. It was so dark; it was hard to tell exactly where her cheek was.

"Haruhi?"

A voice timidly spoke out of the darkness.

"I-I-I'm s-scared."

His silver eyes flashed in the darkness.

"Don't be."

Her eyes opened. They were the only part of her he could see clearly. They were so beautiful. "M-My mom always used to hold me when I was l-little." She swallowed back more tears. "I-I miss that so m-much."

Takashi moved his arms around her, crushing her to him gently. There was enough space for her to move, if necessary. Haruhi scooted closer, trembling against his chest. Once again, she listened to his heart beat.

It was such a beautiful sound.

He rested his forehead against hers.

"I could sing if you like. My mother used to do that."

She sighed, nodding a little.

"I-If it doesn't bother you."

Takashi chuckled, a sweet sound.

"Of course not."

He began to sing quietly to the girl in his arms.

"_I will never let you fall _

_I'll stand up with you forever. _

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven….."_

Haruhi snuggled against him contentedly. "Your voice is so beautiful," she whispered, more to herself than him.

"_Cause you're my_

_You're my, my_

_My true love, _

_My whole heart._

_Please don't throw that away." _

Takashi stopped abruptly.

He realized what he'd just said.

His muscles locked in place.

His eyes cut to the figure next to him.

Haruhi had frozen too.

She surprised him then.

Looking right up into his eyes, she showed her emotions.

One reined above all others.

Love.

* * *

"D-Did you mean that?" The stutter had not come from the lightening. It came from fear and shock. Haruhi gulped, breathing hitching unevenly.

He stared into her eyes.

It seemed like an eternity.

It was now or never.

What better time than now?

He stared into her eyes, testing.

After a lifetime of gazing, Takashi Morinozuka answered her.

"Yes."

Her mouth opened.

She took in a sharp breath.

And gulped.

"I-I-"

Takashi didn't wait for an answer.

'_She couldn't feel the same.'_

He removed his arms.

Not noticing her confused look.

He left the makeshift fort, straightening afterwards.

A lithe figure followed.

'_What's wrong with him?'_

* * *

'_I'm stupid.' _

Haruhi grabbed his arm.

Takashi spun around.

The emotion in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was tangible. For a long time, the two teens stared at each other, confused and hurt. He wrenched his arm from her grasp, heading for the door.

"What is wrong with you?"

Her voice broke at the end.

"You can't just say something like that and run off!"

Was that tears in her voice?

Yes.

Her voice was watery.

Takashi turned again.

Haruhi stood there, trembling steadily. Her fists were balled up at her sides, eyes streaming. "What the hell is with you?" Her voice got higher. "You say you'd never hurt me purposely, but you're doing it now!"

She shouted out at him, words on impulse.

"I love you, too alright?"

The minute it was out she froze.

Hands flew to her mouth in alarm.

Her brown eyes widened.

Haruhi felt her stomach drop.

"What?"

The young girl shook her head, eyes watering.

She felt rejection.

"Never mind, Mori-sempai."

'_What?'_

Takashi crossed the room in three strides. He gripped her shoulders, keeping her prisoner. "Haruhi, did you say that you loved me?" His voice was disbelieving. Haruhi swallowed again, tears flowing free. "Did you?" His silver eyes flashed.

A long silence.

The thunder and lightening had stopped.

Haruhi kept her head down, hair covering her eyes.

"…"

The quiet stretched on.

"Yes."

* * *

Takashi captured her mouth in a kiss. Everything around them exploded. All these feelings and emotions were moving around them. They became swept up, forgetting everything. Nothing mattered more than the person in front of them. Nothing at all.

Haruhi moved her arms, reaching up to knot her hands in his hair.

Takashi grabbed her around the waist.

Their bodies came together with a thump.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, Haruhi had gotten him out of his shirt. She pressed her hands against his bare back frantically. Wildly. Nothing felt better than this. Nothing at all.

Her lips parted.

* * *

Takashi almost considered French kissing. Almost. But they were moving really fast. Too fast. He stopped them, looking down into her eyes. If they ever did do it, it would be done right.

Not in the Host Club room.

Someplace special, with meaning.

And when they got married.

That was the way Takashi had been raised.

It would stay that way.

They stared at each other, breathing hard.

"Wow."

Haruhi's hair was slightly mussed, shirt slightly ruffled. Her lips were bruised. And her eyes were shining brightly with a new emotion.

Love.

Takashi supposed he looked the same.

He felt love.

Haruhi grinned cheekily at him. "Yeah, I know. I wanna wait too." She giggled. "But falling asleep holding each other isn't a bad thing, right?"

Takashi smiled.

"No."

She grasped his hand, bringing him back to the makeshift fort. They settled in, Takashi holding her against his bare chest contentedly.

Just before she fell asleep, Haruhi whispered something to her new boyfriend.

"I love you, Takashi…"

The stoic host leaned in, kissing both eyelids. He then kissed his girlfriend on the lips again.

Lightly.

Gently.

Lovingly.

"I love you too, Haruhi."

* * *

I'm making a poll on your favorite quotes from the story. It's going to be long, so you can choose multiple answers. Like if there was one that really stuck with you. I love you guys. Let me know if I should write more.

-Danielle-chan


	8. Slowly Building Up

I'm sorry it's taken so long. I wanted this to be REALLY good for you guys. I'm still not completely sold on continuing the story. I have 68 reviews currently and 2,500 views. I really REALLY want to make it to 80 reviews, for those of you reading this that have kept quiet. A lot of you have added Takashi, Haruhi, and I to your favorites and alerts. For that, I thank you. For those of you that have always been with me, giving me ideas, helping me along, even some constructive criticism, (_) I love you guys a lot. If you have anymore story ideas for different animes, please, let me know.

Like….

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Fruits Basket

More Ouran couples (Maybe a sequel if you choose.)

Bleach

Naruto Shippuden or otherwise.

Or whatever you guys feel I should do. Just let me know.

Paigeydoll, Yuuna Arashi, SergeantLemoOoN, PureHearts, 4k-san, cliniquehappy, PainedHeart18, MayContainRandomness, donttouchmykyouya818, maryjblige4evr, Neko-Chan1616, bekkie, Red Amnesia, Kuramasredredrose, RukiHina15, NightWorldPrincess, Silver-wind-on-moon, La Vie Infinie, lil whit, Poolday, The-Konoha-Shadow, enchantressXofsouls, Pixieguitarbook46, MangaFreak3, minogirl01, Elfgurl96, GracieLue, mysweetkat, Muchness, and StormyNightz.

This one's for all of you.

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Eight: Slowly Building Up**

Haruhi yawned cutely, mouth forming a perfect O. Rubbing her eyes blearily, she became aware of the stifling heat. "Gah!" Panting heavily, the young host began to struggle up, trying to get out of wherever she was. _'It's frickin hot!' _The blankets tangled around her, and she kicked out.

Her foot collided with something hard, and Haruhi yelped. _'Where am I?' _Her hair stuck to her forehead, and her tank top clung to her like a second skin. _'Gross.' _Haruhi sighed, pouting. The host leaned back, touching cool skin.

Wait.

SKIN?

A pair of arms tightened around her waist.

A sigh tickled her ear.

'_Oh, oops.'_

She opened her brown eyes, turning her head. Takashi Morinozuka stared right back at her. His ebony hair was ruffled from sleep, slanting at an odd angle. Takashi was shirtless, bare chest rising and falling with each breath. His normally pale cheeks flushed red from the heat, making him appear as he was blushing. In short, he looked like a sexy angel. A very sexy angel. Haruhi bit her lip, taking him in. "Must you wake me up with your shouting this morning?" Takashi inquired, raising one slender eyebrow.

"You look sexy."

Takashi chuckled, a deep yet soft sound. "So do you…" He leaned in, kissing Haruhi softly. "Takashi!" she giggled against his lips, "You don't mean that!" He dipped his head, kissing her collarbone. "Mhmmmm…" he breathed against her neck. They rested like that for a while, not talking.

'_This is nice.' _

'_It's very… relaxing…..' _

"What time is it?"

Haruhi propped herself up on an elbow. Takashi's head slid from her neck in surprise. "I don't know, and I don't care much…." He kissed her again, slow and meaningful. "What's with you?" she asked when they regained breath. "You're pretty affectionate today." The host snuggled into her boyfriend's chest. "Not that I mind much, but…."

"….."

He exhaled a sigh before he spoke.

"Haruhi…."

In a matter of seconds, Haruhi was on her back, disoriented. Takashi hovered over her, knees on either side of her legs. His hands pressed into the pillows under them. She blinked up at him, confused. "Takashi?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"You know I love you, right?"

Her brows furrowed.

"Of course I do."

"Well….." Silver eyes clouded in emotion. "I want to be affectionate to reassure you." Haruhi blinked again. "I want you to know that I love you, and this is how I express it." He stared down at his girlfriend. "You know I'm no good with words, so I express my love for you differently.

"Now that we're together, I feel… protective of you. I want to ensure your safety, from others…. From myself…." He leaned down carefully, as to not crush her. He kissed her newly braced wrist, her healed arm. "This is how I say 'I'm sorry.'" Takashi pressed his lips to her eyelids. "That I will protect you…." Finally, he kissed Haruhi on the lips again. "That I love you….."

She broke.

Fervently, Haruhi began to attack Takashi with kisses. Between them, she spoke to him excitedly. "I-" _kiss._ "love-" _kiss. _"you so-" _kiss._ "Much, Takashi Morinozuka…" Takashi was kissing her back with just as much passion.

Soon, Takashi was trailing kisses down her body, leaving a trial of flames. Haruhi moaned a little, fisting her hands in his hair. The stifling heat was forgotten, replaced with desire and passion. Haruhi pressed her hands against his chest, trailing her hands down it.

"Haruhi…"

"Yes?" she managed to say.

"If you don't stop making those noises.….."

She arched her back.

"And doing those irresistibly sexy things…."

Her eyes opened.

"Then I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself."

Haruhi stared up at her boyfriend, trying to detect a joke. A glimmer of humor anywhere in his silver eyes. He stared right back, just as serious, a little bit of lust in his face. "You're serious, aren't you?" Takashi nodded slowly, fearfully. "I wouldn't do that to you."

She teased him a little more, kissing his collarbone. While they'd been in here, doing what they were doing, Haruhi had experimented. She wanted to find exactly where Takashi liked being kissed most. After several tries, her lips had stumbled upon that little hollow space between his neck and shoulder. His arms had trembled on either side of her, and he let out a groan of slipping self-control.

Takashi stiffened.

His eyes lit up with enjoyment.

"So.."

He moved his hands, tickling her sides mercilessly. "If you torture me, I'm allowed to torture you?" Haruhi began to cry, big tears of laughter streaming down her face. "Stop it, stop it!" She couldn't stop laughing. In vain, Haruhi tried to grab her boyfriend's hands, to move them away.

"Stop it, Takashi!"

* * *

The blanket hanging above them was ripped aside.

Takashi blinked in the disorienting light.

Raised voices were above them.

Haruhi felt her eyes widen.

Hikaru and Kaoru had waltzed into the room, unbeknownst to them. Hikaru was livid, slight frame shaking steadily. Kaoru was glancing back and forth between the three, eyes clouded in confusion. Apparently today was a Host Club day.

"You heard her, stop it, Mori-sempai!"

"Hikaru, easy! Calm down!"

"No Kaoru, I will not calm down!" The elder twin looked at his brother with blazing eyes of gold. "Who knows what the hell they were doing last night!" He turned his livid eyes on the couple. They were frozen in a state of absolute shock. Haruhi still had her hands clamped over Takashi's, trying to pry his hands off.

The tears in her eyes could easily be mistaken as tears of fright. Takashi was looming over her. To Hikaru, it seemed as though a rape had tried to be committed. But, then again, he was also looking for any way to hate Mori-sempai. He needed to find an imperfection in him.

"Haruhi, what did he do to you?"

Haruhi locked eyes with her boyfriend. With a few whispered words, she gently removed his hands from her waist and stood up. "Hikaru, Takashi didn't do anything to me." At this, Takashi too rose and stood by her side. She gave him a wan smile. This was just a simple misunderstanding. Hikaru would come to his senses.

Gold eyes zeroed in on her wrist.

"And I suppose he didn't do that, either?"

His tone was cold.

Haruhi froze, brown eyes cutting to her boyfriend. This was a weak point of Takashi's. All the Host Club members knew that. And yet, Hikaru was still bringing it up. That was a hit below the belt, Haruhi decided.

"Hikaru, stop right there."

"I mean, seriously?" The older twin ranted on, "After what he's done, you fall in love with him? He threw you against a wall, Haruhi!" _Shaking hands._ "He broke you arm!" _Shaking body._ "I guess that's no the only thing you let him break, huh?" He smirked. "God, you are such a whore."

_Too far._

A big red mark welled against Hikaru's white skin. It was in the shape of a handprint. The shape of a hand so similar to his own. "Hikaru that is enough." Kaoru felt his eyes well with tears of pity. For his own brother. Sometimes, Hikaru was so selfish. He could never see things truly, and resorted to childish ways. Kaoru had blamed himself over the years. Maybe if he'd not clung to Hikaru so hard, maybe then he would've made bonds. He just didn't seem to understand how different the real world was from theirs.

"Haruhi is our friend." The younger twin swallowed a lump rising in his throat. "Calling her that is worse than a blow. And to play on Mori-sempai's weakness, Hikaru? That is just cruel." Kaoru choked a little at the start. "That's it, Hikaru. I'm done. I'm so tired of cleaning up _your_ messes." He headed towards the door. "Call me when you grow up, big brother."

The door clicked shut.

Hikaru stood there in silence for a while.

"You bastard!"

The twin ran at Takashi in blind rage. Haruhi screamed, "Hikaru, stop!" Takashi stood his ground, not even flinching as a fist flew at his face. He caught both of Hikaru's hands, and lifted him in the air. As Takashi held him three feet off the ground, he threw a quizzical look at Haruhi.

He held out Hikaru.

"What do I do with him now?"

"Just drop him and let him leave on his own. I'll give him that much." Haruhi turned her back on the eldest twin. "And if he's not gone in ten seconds, then you can _throw_ him out." Tears of hurt welled up in her eyes. She heard feet hit the floor.

"Haruhi, I-"

"Please. J-Just go." An intake of breath. Footsteps walking away, out the very door his brother had gone.

* * *

A long, tension-filled silence. Haruhi stood with her back to her boyfriend, gazing out the windows of Music Room Three. Little sobs escaped her lips every once and a while.

"Haruhi…"

Said girl turned, a thin smile across her face. "I'm fine. That was just a shock, is all." She looked out across Ouran. "Any who, don't worry. Everything's gr-" Haruhi hiccupped, throwing her hands over her face. Takashi hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her.

(A/N:Start listening to A River Flows in You piano version on youtube RIGHT now!)

"Are you okay?" She nodded barely, sobbing a little. "If you want to end this, it's okay." He choked a little, "I've never seen you like this, and if this is how it will be…." Takashi trailed off, burying his face in her hair.

"What?"

"No, no!" Haruhi turned on him, an angry viper. "Why the _hell_ would you even consider that? You- You can't do that, what would I do? I- I-" She looked at him, breathing hard. "How could you say that?"

Haruhi looked up at him, grabbing his lips in a searing kiss. "This," she breathed, "is what I think of that idea." She locked her hands in his hair. "I can deal with the other hosts. They honestly don't bother me. It's just you and your crazy ideas that scare the hell out of me."

Takashi stared at her, silver eyes wide.

"Just, don't worry about them? Do you honestly care what they think? I know you don't. Hani-sempai will be okay with this, and I know his opinion is the only one that matters to you." Her eyes searched his. "Well, and mine too I hope."

"Thank you."

An intake of breath.

"Thank you for not caving, Haruhi."

Mouths pressed against mouths in a soft kiss.

"I love you so much."

* * *

The other hosts chose to walk in at that moment. They froze in the doorway, mixed expressions all around. Hani was happy, Kyouya thoughtful, Tamaki seemed tired. "Takashi! I'm so happy!" Hani surged forward, jumping on his shoulders. "You needed someone else in your life." His golden-brown eyes beamed.

"This should make the club earn more money."

Haruhi tensed.

"If you two do a yaoi act from time to time, our profits are sure to increase tenfold!" Money signs swirled around Kyouya. His glasses gleamed. "Ah?" Takashi chuckled, actually chuckled at the other Host Club members.

Tamaki stiffened a little, and then smiled placidly. His violet eyes expressed happiness. "Haruhi needs someone to take care of her. Even when she can take care of herself."

Haruhi smiled a wide, happy grin. Then, shocking everyone, she wrapped her arms around Tamaki in a hug. "Thank you, Tamaki." She whispered, dropping the honorific. He blushed a bit, but settled for carefully hugging her back. "No, Haruhi thank you."

No one questioned the unspoken agreement in the air. "Hey, where are Hika-chan and Kao-chan?" Takashi grimaced a little. "We had a slight, eh, complication with them." Kyouya looked confused, a first. "What happened?"

"Let's just say they didn't take the news as well as you guys did. At least not Hikaru."

* * *

Kaoru walked in, oddly out of balance. "Hey Kao-chan!" Hani leaped at him, catching him off guard. The younger twin collided with the floor. He just laid there, eyes glazed over. "Kaoru!" Haruhi kneeled by him. "Are you alright? Where's Hikaru?"

He twitched guiltily at his twin's name. "….." The host gathered around their friend. Takashi picked him up, sticking him on the couch. His eyes seemed to flicker in acknowledgement for a moment. Then, they went flat again.

"H-"

A tear trickled down his cheek.

"Hikaru's gone. I-I can't find him."

Kyouya looked down at the host. "Do you need my police force?" Kaoru looked up, fearful. "No! I-I mean, Hikaru will probably come back. He just needs time." At those words, Haruhi slid a glance at Takashi.

'_What will you do?'_

Takashi shrugged at her.

'_I don't know.'_

"He said he wanted to talk things over with Mori-sempai." Kaoru looked up at him with eyes of gold. "I just don't know where he is…" He wept a little again. "Hey, Kao-chan please don't cry!" Hani hugged him.

Takashi silently pleaded with Haruhi.

'_Let me go find him.'_

She shook her head.

'_What if he's not alone?' _

Another shrug.

Takashi stood, looking down at the weeping twin. He pitied him. How would he feel if Haruhi and Mitsukuni were separated from him? Probably just the same as Kaoru. "I'll try to find him. Where did you see him last?" Kaoru sniffled.

"I-I saw him walk towards the rose maze. Then I left to find you guys."

He nodded. "I'll start there." Walking towards the door, a small arm grabbed his. "I'm coming with you." Takashi grasped her hands in his, pleading with her. "Seeing you will cause him more pain, love." He kissed their conjoined hands. "I'd rather have Hikaru mad at me, than see you hurt over him hurting."

"Please, just trust me."

Haruhi grabbed his face, stroking his cheek wearily. "You won't give in, will you?" Takashi leaned into her palm, enjoying her touch. "No, I won't." She kissed him, long and deep. "I love you, Takashi Morinozuka." He smiled at her.

"And I love you, Haruhi Fujioka."

Takashi walked out the door to find Hikaru. Hopefully, to come to some sort of terms. It'd be easier on everyone. It'd be easier for Kaoru, Hikaru, the club, and for Haruhi.

If only he knew what he was getting himself into.

* * *

Another cliffie! Don't kill me, I'm just real busy! School's in session! Any whom, the next chapter will probably be the last. Off to the shower I go! I have a book club!

Love and flowers and kisses always,

Danielle-chan!


	9. Crimes

Oh my god guys, we're nearing the end. Slowly but surely, it is coming without a doubt. I'm very satisfied with this story, and never expected all of you to follow me on this. This is the second to last chapter, so any of you who are adding me and not saying anything should speak up…. *hint hint* Sadly, I could not reach my 80 review goal for the 8th chapter. Please please please you guys!

The only thing I really want from you readers, reviewers, favoriters, and alerters, (I like my made-up words XD) is to reach 100 reviews at the end. Chapter ten, when it pops up there, it will be the last.

All I ask is for 100 reviews.

Songs of choice for chapter: 9 crimes by Damien Rice. Goodbye Song by Carter's Chord. (The first two songs I listened to in order for the emotional scene at the end with all the hosts.)The Only Exception by Paramore. (Flashback scene.)

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Nine: Crimes **

Takashi walked calmly through the courtyard of Ouran Academy. As he headed for the rose maze, a drop of water hit his head. The senior looked up, shielding his eyes. It was going to rain hard, but the clouds were dark enough for lightening. Takashi smiled, assured of his girlfriend's wellbeing.

He looked towards the Music Room window. No doubt Haruhi was standing at it, anxious. Sure enough, there she was. Takashi waved an arm, signaling his safety. She waved back, and Mitsukuni waved from his perch by her side. He smiled.

Focusing his attention to the maze, Takashi Morinozuka squared his shoulders. Hikaru was in there somewhere, no doubt angry. No doubt hurt. The host was afraid of the younger one. Hikaru may be devilish, but he was a man.

He wouldn't stoop so low as to have several men backing him up.

Hikaru wasn't like that.

Confident with his reasoning, Takashi walked into the labyrinth. He had a pretty good idea as to where the older Hitachiin might be. The old gazebo where they'd all hid one time. Takashi bit back a smile.

* * *

"_One, two, three…" Kyouya counted slowly, bored with the game already. Everyone ran, Tamaki practically dragging Haruhi by the hand. "Guys, help!" Haruhi yelped out, tugging. In an instant, the twins were by her side. "Jeez, Tono," Hikaru purred, sliding an arm around the girl's waist._

"_You sure are in a hurry to be alone with your __daughter__." Kaoru added, nuzzling Haruhi. The host blushed furiously, backing up a little. "No, I just had this really great spot to hide….." Tamaki spluttered out. "Great!" the little devils chorused. _

"_Then you won't mind if we can come too?" _

_Tamaki was about to say just how much he minded, when Kyouya interrupted. "You had better hurry, before I finish counting…." Takashi silently appeared, Mitsukuni on his shoulders. _

"_Can we come too, Tama-chan?" _

_Takashi grunted a question too. He tried in vain not to pay too much attention to Haruhi. Something was growling in his chest. The way the twins were touching her, coddling her…. Was this jealously he felt so unpleasantly? _

_Tamaki sweat dropped, reluctantly bidding them entry. They all cheered, running off. Haruhi was being held by the twins, making running awkward. "Get off." They continued on, oblivious. "Get off." she repeated strongly. _

_Mitsukuni peered down at Takashi. His golden eyes were owlish. "Takashi, we're waaaaay ahead of the others!" The tall senior stopped and looked back. They were indeed extremely far ahead of the other hosts. They watched the struggling mass of Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi. _

_Takashi felt that pang again. _

"_Takashi, you should go help Haru-chan!" _

_He said a simple yes, stooping to put Mitsukuni on the ground. And Takashi was running back in the opposite direction, towards the threesome. In a movement so fast, he had Haruhi out and on his shoulders. _

_Takashi said two words. _

"_Hold on." _

_Haruhi barely had two seconds to register where she was before they took off running. Hearing the wails of disappointment, Takashi knew that the other hosts would begin running. The senior had the prize. And they wanted it back._

_Moments later, all six hosts were at the hiding place. The twists and turns had confused them severely. As Takashi lifted his arms to lift Haruhi off, she dug her fingers into his shoulders. _

"_Wait….. I'm dizzy….." _

_The black-haired boy tried hard not to smile. It felt natural having Haruhi with him. She seemed safe. Eventually, she was on the ground, thanking him with a smile. One of her pretty smiles. _

_He smiled back, an automatic reaction. _

_Tamaki cleared his throat, spreading his arms. His violet eyes radiated happiness. "This is it!" The section of the maze itself stretched in one long horizontal line. The gazebo sat square in the middle, a peaceful pillar in a tangled world. They ran towards it, hearing Kyouya's approach two sections over. _

_The King ushered them in one at a time. Takashi followed directly after Haruhi. He barely squeezed under the little table there, hitting his head. A giggle next to him. The boy turned, confused. Haruhi clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling another giggle. _

_Takashi raised one slender eyebrow. The facial expression so rare made Haruhi laugh harder. "Shhhhh!" Mitsukuni reprimanded. She blinked back tears of mirth. The hosts sat there for hours, quietly waiting. Haruhi tried not to pay attention to the warmth of the person next to her. He tried to do the same. _

_Eventually, Kyouya showed up. "Sorry it took so long…" he said, not sorry at all. "It was hard to find you guys." That was a lie. As a matter of fact, he had been finishing a book after they were out of sight. He had not been satisfied with the ending. So, in short, the Shadow King was very shadowy right now. _

_From past experience, the twins and Tamaki just laughed nervously. As they got out, Haruhi finally let loose a torrent of laughter, bending over. All the others, save for Takashi, believed she had gone crazy. The corners of his mouth twitched. She was just too cute. _

'_I didn't think I was that funny.'_

_In time, the natural host stopped and caught her breath. "Sorry," she wheezed, "I just couldn't hold it in any longer." Tamaki laughed, sweeping her up in a hug. "Oh, you are just so cute!" She choked. _

_The hosts all parted ways and went home. As they climbed into various limos, Haruhi began to walk home. Mitsukuni noticed and rolled down his window. "Haru-chan, ride home with us!" Takashi nodded, looking around his cousin. Sleepily, the host nodded, climbing in beside the boys. _

_On the way home, she fell asleep, slanting against Takashi's shoulder. _

_Takashi blushed. _

_Mitsukuni smiled a little smile of warmth, a candle of happiness. _

* * *

Takashi jumped back into time, having hit a rosebush. Ordinarily, he'd be annoyed, but now he laughed. He did a lot of that these days. It must be Haruhi. She made him smile. Everything about her made him happy. A red rose was sprinkled with rain drops. Cautiously avoiding the thorns, Takashi plucked it from the towering bush.

It reminded him of Haruhi.

Sweet, kind, but with a feisty side.

"God, I love her."

A noise up ahead made him look up.

* * *

Haruhi waved back to her boyfriend, happy. He was safe. No missile had popped out of the sky and struck him. No bullets. No ninja stars. She breathed a small sigh. Hani squeezed her hand, leading her away from the window. "C'mon, Haru-chan. You'll just worry yourself."

All the other hosts sat on the couch, weary. Kyouya had managed to get the newly installed fireplace working. It took forever. He, like the other rich boys, had never done anything for himself before. But now there was a merrily crackling fire. It added some happiness to the room.

Haruhi sat down next to Kaoru. He seemed unfocused, eyes glazed. She took his hand in hers. It was clammy and cold. "Kaoru?" No response. "Kaoru?" A little louder this time.

"Kaoru?"

Finally, the young Hitachiin raised his head, as if seeing her for the first time. He smiled weakly. "Hey, Haruhi." He flinched a little. "What's up?" Haruhi leaned over, hugging him against her gently. Again, Kaoru flinched at the contact. They sat there awkwardly for a while. Haruhi was determined to make him feel better. Kaoru was intent on being miserable.

At some undetermined point, Kaoru melted against her, holding her tight. He let out a shaky breath. "It's okay, Kaoru. You never knew it would come to this." The twin stiffened. Slowly, he pulled away, agony evident in his features. "No, it's not."

His tone was flat.

"It's my fault."

The hosts all banded together, even Kyouya. They all leaned against each other, supporting one another. Tamaki was flat out worried. Hani was trying to remain calm, furtively glancing at the window every two seconds. Kyouya was eerily okay, but Haruhi knew on the inside he too was worried.

They weren't all just worried for Takashi. They were concerned with the twins as well. Their delicate states of mind, so fragile. To Hikaru, this was a betrayal. The one person they had fully let into their world, and she stabbed them. Kaoru was a different story. He knew Haruhi wasn't betraying them. She was their best friend, their only friend. Kaoru was walking an extremely thin line. On one side he had his brother, his soulmate. No one could ever know him like Hikaru.

On the other was Haruhi. His first real friend, a vital necessity to his health. He loved her like his sister, almost as much as Hikaru. In a way, he _needed_ her. But if Kaoru picked her, Hikaru would forever be lost to him. He didn't believe he could survive that trauma.

Haruhi would still love him either way.

A tear slipped down his pale cheek. It glinted pearly white in the light of the fire. The youngest twin began to tell their story. His and his twin's.

"It's because of me."

"I'm the reason Hikaru is so afraid. The reason he can't form normal bonds. Why he runs from everyone. It's always been like this. He may be the oldest, but I always seemed like the wiser one." He turned cold. "At least that what our parents always said.

"Ever since we could interact, we never have. If it wasn't the other, it was no one. That's how it started." Kaoru began to shake, tremors trickling down his spine. "I was fine with it for a few years. Then, we entered middle school. I began to see the world differently. I saw people I could talk with, people who shared my interests. Hikaru didn't see my way.

"He had become dependent on me. I was his only companion. He clung to me, worried I'd leave our world and leave him alone. He didn't want to accept people. It seemed ludicrous." His tears flowed faster now. "Hikaru couldn't bear it. He began to not eat, to not speak to me. In return, I realized what was happening. I was making friends, but losing my brother in the process. I ran back to him, severing my ties."

Kaoru turned his haunted face towards Haruhi. She was pale, biting her lip. "Then, we met you. Hikaru was overjoyed. He'd finally met a girl who could resist Tono. A girl he'd be free to be with." Tamaki seemed to shrink a little. "So, he tried. Haruhi, you probably couldn't pick up the hints, but they were there. He really liked you." At this, Haruhi grew even paler. "He believed that now he could be out of Tamaki's shadow, into the sunlight. But then, we found you today."

"And my brother's world came crashing down."

Haruhi choked back a little sob, bile rising in her throat. It was her fault. All her fault. Two of her best friends were out there fighting over her.

And she wasn't worth the fight.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, wetting her jeans. "Haruhi?" Hani said seriously, dropping the honorific. He was in serious mode, more of a senior than ever. "Are you alright?" He clasped a little hand in hers.

Haruhi jerked a little. Her hair fell over her eyes, masking her emotion. The young host stood. In that instant, she had aged a hundred years. At this moment she was all of the host's best qualities.

She was emotionless like Takashi.

She was cool-headed like Kyouya.

She was wise like Kaoru, fiery like Hikaru.

An enigma like Tamaki, a mask from the world.

And like Mitsukuni, she was strong.

And like the last time a crisis had occurred, Haruhi walked out the door. She was headed for the crisis, being who she was. Either way, this would end before it got rough. It would not go on longer than this day.

The young woman walked into battle, head held high.

* * *

Takashi turned, looking straight into the tormented eyes of Hikaru Hitachiin. He seemed out of it, at a loss of the mind. Hikaru was gone. It was evident. In his place, he'd left a cold machine, unable to think but one thought.

Hate.

Then, to his utter surprise, a fist collided with his eye, sending the kendo master reeling. Takashi was on his feet in an instant, wide-eyed. "Hikaru, take it easy. We just need to talk." The twin laughed mockingly. "Take it easy? _How can I take it easy?_" he shouted, voice carrying out and over the dark campus. The lights outside came on, casting an eerie glow about the place.

"You've somehow managed to taken the only thing I've ever loved. I didn't suspect _you_, of all people in the world, but it happened. Why the_ hell_ would Haruhi choose you?" The lanterns cast demented shadows across the boy's face. Hikaru struck out again, aiming for the nose. Takashi caught his fist easily, holding it back.

A foot twisted out and kicked him in the side, driving him into the ground.

"That's right," Hikaru said, "You're not the only one who knows martial arts now, _Takashi._" He sneered his name. Takashi coughed, standing. _'Damn, he's fast. How did he learn all this?'_ "That's not all I know either." A rustle of papers caught the kendo master's attention.

From his jacket, Hikaru pulled a thin folder. On the front a name was stamped. _Takashi Morinozuka._ He felt his vision go red. Breathing slowly, Takashi looked away from the devil of a folder.

"That's right. You know exactly what this is, don't you? I bet you do, and right now you want to kill me for it." Hikaru was testing dangerous waters. Takashi was just barely containing himself. "Let's see…" the boy goaded him on, rustling through the file. " Police report for one Takashi Morinozuka. The first offense….."

"Battery charge for the injuries of Satoshi Morinozuka."

Takashi flinched. He remembered that day clearly. He had fallen from a tree, hitting a branch on the way down. As he lay there, his little brother had thoroughly chastised him. In anger, Takashi had lunged at him, nearly killing his little brother. His parents had locked him in his room for a month.

"Second offense….."

Hikaru was beginning to push his luck. Takashi had promised not to do any damage for Haruhi's sake. But, this was starting to test his patience. He conjured up Haruhi's face to his mind, but it was burned out. "Yet another battery charge, huh? And I thought you were a mellow guy here, Takashi." He feigned shock. "And this one's about Hani-sempai."

Yet again an accident.

After he'd injured Mitsukuni, he'd run off. Takashi had found his safe place around that point in time. The charges began to go away. But they were forever seared into his mind. He began breathing hard, trying to fight rage. Takashi was losing. Badly.

"Third charge…"

He snapped. Anything to stop Hikaru from reading that final charge aloud. It would kill Takashi. He would die from the pain of that charge. He lunged for Hikaru, aiming for the face. In shock, Hikaru barely dodged it. Takashi turned with blinding speed. "You must really not want Haruhi to hear about this, huh?" He smirked, dodging yet another blow.

"What would she do if she read these? Would she leave you? Run from you? Cringe when you even look at her? Eventually, she'd come running to m-"

Hikaru missed this blow. Takashi's foot collided straight with his jaw, breaking it evenly. He tasted blood. The twin fell down, clutching his broken mouth. Blood dripped through his fingers, staining his shirt. He tried in vain to call for help, but it did not was to no avail. The grounds were deserted.

Takashi fell down on him, hitting every inch he could reach. His right fist collided with Hikaru's cheekbone, snapping that as well. His weight alone had already broken several of his ribs. Blood gurgled out of Hikaru's throat. It flowed over Takashi's hands, his shirt, his pants.

He couldn't stop. Takashi knew he should, but he didn't seem able to. At this rate, Hikaru would be dead before help arrived. He kept lashing out, hitting the bloodied boy over and over. The arms flailing against his began to stop moving. Another crunch of shattered bone, the loudest yet.

The boy under him stopped fighting.

His golden eyes rolled back into his head.

And he sighed.

Had he died?

At this thought, Takashi stopped beating the host under him. _'Damn! Shit, I've killed him!' _Hurriedly, the kendo master began doing chest compressions. It only seemed to make things worse, as more ribs snapped.

Takashi began crying, tears flowing down to the broken body beneath him. There was so much blood. It was everywhere. He looked at his shaking hands, hyperventilating. He soon began wondering what to do, when he heard sounds.

Sirens.

Someone had called the cops.

A tentative voice called out to him, cautiously.

"Takashi?"

* * *

Haruhi examined the scene before her in horror. One boy lay motionless, in a pool of his own blood. The other crouched near him, holding his head in his hands. In the dim lights, the blood seemed as ink, the color of night. Warily, in a voice choked by fear, she called out. "Takashi?"

The senior raised his head. Hikaru's blood was smeared across his face, all over his hands, tainting him. Haruhi flinched back, whispering, "What have you done?" He winced, trembling like a frightened bird. "I-I-" He stood up slowly, afraid.

Haruhi backed up several steps at his approach. "You've killed him." Her voice broke. "Oh my god, oh my god, you've killed him." The sirens steadily got louder. "Haruhi, please-" Takashi raised his hands, walking towards her. Her pupils dilated.

"No, stay away from me!"

"It was an accident." His tone was hoarse. "I didn't mean to, I-" His head fell into his hands. "Oh god." A strangled noise came from his girlfriend. Or, due to present circumstances, his ex girlfriend. Haruhi's knees buckled, and she fell down. Wrapping her arms around her body, eyes wide, she sat deathly still.

"Haruhi-"

A floodlight illuminated the world. The air whooshed about them as the helicopter cut through it. "Attention, do not move! I repeat, do not move!" A ladder descended. Takashi's eyes grew wide. Haruhi sat there, frozen. The maze began to ripple, shuddering with footfalls.

The Host Club got there before the police did. All of them froze, horrified by the sight. A figure detached itself from the group. The boy ran towards the motionless body that lay bleeding in the dark. His twin was there, his other half, the _best_ half of him. "Hikaru, Hikaru!"

Kaoru grabbed his brother, holding him in his arms. "Hikaru!" He began crying, cries piercing the night. "You have to wake up!" His pleas were childish, asking him to wake up repeatedly. Eventually, Kaoru became inconsolable. His wailed out his grief, low cries of pain that managed to pierce everyone's ears.

Mitsukuni cried as well, but for his cousin. He seemed incapable of movement. Takashi's silver eyes flickered to his, pain filled. _'Forgive me,'_ they seemed to beg. The blood was everywhere, the stuff of nightmares. It was the color of roses, they all thought bitterly.

Kyouya felt his glasses trembling on the end of his nose. For once, he couldn't think. The cool host stood statue still, like the others. Nothing processed in this fog of disbelief. Tamaki wept quietly, for a friend. A fallen brother. The grief felt on that night can never be fully expressed.

The police came then, at the worst moment possible. Every host unfroze, brought back to reality. And all the pain they tried to bury within a matter of seconds.

The cool host fell back against the gazebo, arm flung out for support.

The prince host sobbed openly, and let his grief soak out of him.

The last little devil held his brother, pain knowing no bounds.

The Lolita ran for his cousin, no rational thoughts being produced.

The wild host fell to his knees, arms behind his head.

And the natural host sat there, as unmoving as the first devil host.

Everything exploded into chaos, a puzzle of time and confusion. Police surrounded the perimeter, going for Takashi. With an infant like wail, Mitsukuni tried to reach his cousin. He wanted nothing more than to take him away from here. He wanted to erase all of this. The small senior tried to fight through the men grabbing his cousin. Ordinarily, Mitsukuni would succeed. The police would be thrown away easily as dolls.

Where Takashi became unstable in a time of emotion, Mitsukuni became weak. All martial arts were forgotten, making him average. Two uniforms grabbed his thin arms, pulling him back. "No, you have to let me through, that's my cousin!" They spoke no words. This was the real deal, complete with vests, guns, and head protection. Despite his pleas, they held Mitsukuni back.

Tears washed down his blood drained cheeks. "Takashi!" He yelled a final bid to get his attention. His cousin was frozen, unaware of the arms grabbing him and the voices yelling.

"…..the right to remain silent….will be used against you…"

Meanwhile, the paramedics had arrived at the scene. Gently, they attempted to remove Kaoru from his twin's body. He wouldn't do it. "No no, I have to stay with him!" One nurse leaned down, a hand on his shoulder. With a few whispered words, the young twin's face went blank. His arms slumped down, and he fainted.

The tranquilizer in his arm mysteriously disappeared.

"_We could save him." _

That was Kaoru Hitachiin's last conscious thought.

Haruhi fisted her ears against the noise. Her eyes squeezed shut, tears welling. An item fell into her lap. Taking no notice, she sat there. A gentle hand tugged on hers. The young girl shuddered at the contact. Her ex boyfriend was dragged away, forced into a squad car.

He never saw her eyes open again.

* * *

Haruhi lay there for an hour. Eventually, the remaining hosts moved. Kyouya slumped on to the stone bench, exhausted. Mitsukuni punched a hole in lantern. His knuckles bled, like his cousin's had many weeks ago. At the sight of the crimson drops, he fainted in the grass, expression terrified.

Tamaki gently placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder. She flinched at the contact. Retracting his hand, cautiously he spoke. His throat was raw from weeping. "Haruhi, please get up." She twitched slightly, not acknowledging him. "Come on, it's okay now." Her brown eyes flickered in remembrance.

"_It's okay, Haruhi."_

With a sob, she threw her head into her hands, frame quivering. Tamaki dropped to his knees, expression serious. His violet eyes were shocked. Warily, he hugged her close, wrapping his arms around her slight build. As her tears soaked his shirt, Haruhi fought for her words to come out.

"Th- Thank you."

He gave her a tired smile.

She cried in his arms until the sun broke on the horizon.

All the hosts seemed to stand in unison.

They all made their way to Music Room Three, trying to unscramble their feelings. Haruhi leaned on Tamaki heavily, strength sapped. "Don't let me go." She whispered. His eyes widened. As they opened the doors to the room, Haruhi fell asleep standing.

The hosts tried to find solace in each other.

Haruhi slept on, in a beautiful world. There was no death, no pain, and no blood. No suffering on anyone's part. And in her dreams, she was with the person she loved the most. Takashi. The Takashi she'd always loved, who was sweet and nice.

Haruhi woke up crying.

Again, Tamaki was there to embrace her. To smooth her hair back and tell her it was alright. In his arms, Haruhi shed tears of guilt and shame. Guilt for betraying Takashi, shame for still loving him.

And the rose lay crumpled on the gazebo floor.

* * *

I wanted to go out with a bang. Next chapter will be the last….. If I get a hundred reviews, I'll be sold on a sequel….. ;) If not, no sequel for you! And I'm damn serious! Lol. But seriously… *sits in corner and cries over Takashi*

Love always,

Danielle-chan.


	10. How Could This Happen to Me?

Hikaru didn't die, you guys. So many of you have said OH MI GOD YOU KILLED HIKARU! I am clearing the air on this one. When the paramedics arrived in the last chapter, it said in italics- _"We could save him."_ When the paramedic bent down and whispered to Kaoru, that what she was telling him. I sucked at making that clear, so sorry.

Anyways…

Here we are. The last chapter. The end to this story. I'm glad to have shared my work with so many of you around the world. It's made me happy to see my name come up on alert lists and favorites lists. Thank you to all of you who have been there since day one. You guys are truly the people most dearest to me. Thank you as well to the new reviewers, who've arrived late but provided me with such kind reviews. All of you are wonderful to me, and I'm glad you chose my story to read.

Thank you.

Choice of song for this chapter: Adia by Sarah McLachlan (Takashi's POV)

* * *

**My Thoughts You Can't Decode**

**Chapter Ten: How Could This Happen to Me?**

Haruhi dragged herself home, head bowed low, defeated posture. She was extremely unkempt, attracting looks as she plodded to the apartment. At this point, she could care less. Her eyes were red-rimmed, tears still trickling down pale cheeks. Her uniform streaked with mud and grass stains. If you looked into her eyes, you saw a barren wasteland.

The brown eyes were no longer filled with their kind lights. They had dulled and dimmed, hollowing her face. She looked dead inside. If you saw her, you'd wonder what had possibly caused this poor girl to look like this. And Haruhi wouldn't tell you. Her gaze would seem to pass through you, as if you didn't exist.

Haruhi reached the steps, and began to trudge up them one at a time. She felt detached from her body. Swaying a little, she fumbled for the railing. Her stomach felt horrible. Everything was swaying…. The stairs bucked under her feet, and her door moved far away. With a little sigh, the girl fell back down the way she came, crumpling up in a heap at the foot of the stairs.

One time, she gasped. Then, Haruhi just lay there, not caring what happened to her or who found her. If she died right now, it'd just be a release from the pain. She looked at her arm. Blood trickled down the sleeve, but oddly enough she didn't feel it. Vaguely, the host experienced déjà vu. Images flashed through her mind, jumbled in with words and blood.

_Hikaru, lying on the ground bleeding, eyes closed. _

"_What have you done?" _

_Takashi reaching for her, blood all over him. _

_Recoiling. Animalistic fear that made her scream, "Stay away from me!" _

_Bright lights. Paralyzing fear. A spreading sense of numbness. _

_Kaoru's face, stricken with grief. _

"_TAKASHI!" _

_Kyouya falling backwards, arms seeking support. _

"_Wake up! You have to wake up!" _

_Mitsukuni being pinned by various cops, screaming for his cousin. _

_A ladder descending. Squad cars filling the rose maze. _

"_It was an accident…." _

_Tamaki hugging her, whispering soothing words. _

"_It's okay…" _

_A rose lying shattered among the footprints and blood._

"_It's my fault…." _

_The thought grew louder, suffocating her. _

"_It's my fault!" _

_Louder still, Haruhi began screaming, but no sound escaped._

"_IT'S MY FAULT!"_

"Haruhi, honey! Sweetie, wake up! It's okay!" Her brown eyes opened, glistening with tears. Strangled sobs began to claw at her throat. Her father's face swam before her in a haze of tears. "Dad?" Haruhi choked out, voice barely above a whisper. His face was haggard, fear evident in his features. It was replaced by relief.

"It's okay sweetie, Daddy's here."

Ranka hugged his daughter tight. His voice was constricted by pain and fear. "What happened, sweetheart?" He rocked her back and forth, as he did when she was little. Haruhi's throat closed. She couldn't tell him. It was too much to even admit to herself. Instead, her hands tightened on her dad, face burying into his shoulder.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Ranka was alarmed now. His voice became husky with rage. "No one's hurt you, have they?" Haruhi shook her head, clearing her throat. "I'm fine." She rasped out. It was a lie. It felt as if she had been burned with acid, and salt had been poured onto her wounds. She hurt everywhere.

"I'm going to bed." Ranka kissed the top of her head. "Okay honey, try to sleep." The tortured girl shuffled into her room. Flopping down on her bed, her eyes fell on a photograph. It was in an ornately carved frame, made of silver. At the thought of silver, Haruhi felt her mind fly to a corner of her mind she was trying to repress.

Takashi.

Haruhi stifled a little cry, wrapping her arms around herself. The portrait itself seemed to mock her. It was a picture of them together. Takashi was kissing the top of her head; Haruhi had her arms wrapped around his neck. She stared at it, heart on fire. It hurt so much to even _think_ of him.

Dripping tears onto the photo, Haruhi placed it face down. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore. It hurt her heart, no. It hurt her soul. Curling up against her bedspread, she wept. She wept for a man she loved, a man she shouldn't love anymore. She wept for her friend, cold and dead. The host wept for everyone that fateful day, all the hosts who were now doing the same thing.

All of the crying hosts.

* * *

Ranka sat down that night, worried. He was troubled by his daughter's behavior. The way she hadn't even cared that she was filthy, and had crawled into bed. Haruhi didn't do any of those things. His Haruhi cared about her hygiene. She cared about having a clean uniform.

And his Haruhi didn't have those sorrowful eyes.

The man glanced at his television. The evening news was on, featuring a familiar face. He grabbed the remote, turning up the volume. It echoed through the quiet apartment, sucking air from the room. Takashi Morinozuka was on the screen, the look of a drowning man on his face. Ranka felt his eyes go wide.

"Takashi Morinozuka, a local teenager, has been charged with the attempted murder of Hikaru Hitachiin. The boy was arrested at about eight o'clock last night on the grounds of the famous school, Ouran Academy. Police had responded to a 9-1-1 call in the area. Another teenager, who asked to remain anonymous, made a distressed call to a dispatcher….."

The man stopped talking, and the 9-1-1 call was played. Words scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

'_Takashi Morinozuka to be tried in adult court.' _

'_Hikaru Hitachiin currently in critical condition.' _

The girl's voice blared out of the screen. Ranka felt his throat close. He swallowed thickly.

_Dispatcher: 9-1-1, what's your emergency? _

_Girl: There's a serious argument going on here.._

_Dispatcher: M'am, how serious is the situation?_

_Girl: They're trying to hurt each other! _

_Dispatcher: Can you tell me your location? _

_Girl: I'm at Ouran Academy, in the rose maze! Please hurry! It's getting physical! _

Her voice rose to high pitch levels, making Ranka wince.

_Girl: Oh my god, he's killing him! HE'S KILLING HIM! _

_Dispatcher: What's happening?_

_Girl: Oh my god! He's not moving! He's dead! He's killed him! Oh my god!_

_Dispatcher: M'am, what's happening there? _

_Girl: Takashi's killed Hikaru! Hikaru's dead! _

Crying blared out of the speakers.

_Dispatcher: We've dispatched two units to your location._

There was an eerie silence.

_Dispatcher: M'am? Are you there?_

The news anchor came back on, and Ranka turned the volume down. "Takashi Morinozuka will be tried as an adult tomorrow in front of a jury. Kaoru Hitachiin, brother of the victim, is expected to testify, along with all other members belonging to the infamous Host Club." He couldn't take it anymore.

Ranka flicked off the television, feeling sick. _'That's why she was crying.'_ He began to shed some tears of his own. "Oh god, my poor baby." The man looked towards the photograph of his late wife. Picking up the photograph, he sobbed. "Oh Kotoko, what can I do?"

And Ranka fell asleep like that, his wife's picture clenched in his hands.

* * *

Haruhi woke up, exhausted. It felt as if she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. She had just lay there in an unthinking stupor, creating the illusion of sleep. Rubbing her cheek, she glanced at the alarm clock. It was eleven. Her cell phone rang, Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You" radiating from the phone.

"Hello." She said dully. "Haruhi, I'm outside." She yawned into the speaker. "Okay, give me five minutes." There was dead silence on the end of the phone. "You don't have to do this, Haruhi." She choked back a cry. "I know."

Flipping her phone shut, Haruhi wriggled out of bed. Throwing a red tank top over her head, she tugged on beige capris. Mechanically, she dragged the brush through her hair. Grabbing a small purse, she threw her house key and phone into it. She walked past her father, who lay sleeping on the couch.

Walking down the stairs, she met the host waiting for her. He hugged her close. "Are you okay?" Haruhi hugged him too, ignoring the little pang in her heart when she did it. "I'm fine, Tamaki." The blonde smiled sadly, knowing how much she was lying. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She, in answer, climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

* * *

Takashi sat in his cell, staring at the ceiling. He was clad in a prison jumpsuit already, and staring at his fate. He knew he would end up staying in here. What he didn't know was how long it would last. The senior sighed, noticing the guards in charge of him flinch. They were deathly afraid of him.

Takashi was afraid of himself. He'd nearly killed one of his best friends in pure rage. The chains holding his hands together were stronger than him. That was a blessing. He didn't _want_ to be free again. He deserved to be in here forever. He was a monster.

Takashi thought of Haruhi unwillingly. The thought came on lightening quick and needle sharp. He gasped, breathing hitching unevenly. His heart hurt when he thought of her. It was terrible. He wished he'd been a better, stronger man for her. He wished things could've been different.

One of the guards accepted a phone call. After some extensive nodding, he shut his cell phone. Looking at the other guards, they all rose in unison. Two approached the cell, one drew a gun. It was shaking slightly. Takashi regarded the weapon coolly. "It's time." The guards stepped in, hauling him to his feet. He just went along with it, knowing the hopelessness of the situation.

They dragged him down a long hall to a door. Opening it, all six men led Takashi into the courtroom, under the scrutiny of many. They sat him in the defendant's seat, and backed off. He sat ramrod straight. The jury looked at him with impassive looks. They didn't care what happened to him. All these people wanted was to get the hell out of here. All the various procedures were gone through, and the first witness took the stand.

It was Mitsukuni who came first, his little frame quivering. "Takashi didn't mean to do it. He's a good man. He just lost control for a second. Everyone does that. Don't you dare deny that you have never lost control." He glared around the room. His persona was fiery, filled with love for his cousin. "What he did was wrong, I'll agree with that. But... He should not be locked away for this."

And with that, the little senior walked away from the pedestal. Tears were in his golden brown eyes, but he still managed to keep his pride. Mitsukuni even managed a little smile and wink at his cousin. _'It's okay. I forgive you.'_

This made things simply worse on Takashi. His cousin shouldn't be defending him. He should be running from him, not forgiving him. Takashi gulped. God, he had brainwashed his cousin. He rubbed his cheek.

Tamaki came next, then Kyouya. Their speeches were differently worded, but still expressing the same meaning. They were defending him too. Though with Kyouya, it seemed as though he had tried to bribe someone. From the defeated look on his face, Takashi guessed that it hadn't worked.

Kaoru walked into the courtroom at that moment. His face was flushed and tear-streaked. Takashi blanched. _'Oh, damn.'_ The young Hitachiin looked terrible. As he brushed by Takashi, he felt him shiver. Never had he felt so powerless. Kaoru took the stand, and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I was late….. I was just with my brother, and lost track of the time." A few of the women looked sympathetic.

"I believe Takashi Morinozuka should be locked away. I realize that my fellow hosts do not agree with me on this, but I don't care. This was my _brother_, and I will face the world for him. Takashi nearly killed him, and should be placed in prison for a long time. Anger management classes will not help this situation."

He turned to face the former host dead on. "My brother, before his incident, had acquired recent files on this man. It showed several accounts of battery that he was charged for over the years. Those files show just how unstable Takashi Morinozuka really is. One day he was going to crack, and it happened to be on the day he met my brother.

"I can not even begin to describe how I felt when I found my brother lying there. A piece of me felt like it was dying. As I held him, I wished that it was me and not him lying there. I never want anyone to go through what we had to. My mother has been crying nonstop for 24 hours. My father has been right there beside her."

Kaoru began to choke up. "No family should have to suffer this kind of emotional pain. We sat there for _hours_, wondering if my brother would live or die. All of this was because of Takashi Morinozuka. He should be cast away from the entire world, so another person should not have to suffer as much as my brother and I have."

He left the room directly after, tears falling down his cheeks again. Takashi began to cry a little, full of self-loathing. _'I-I cannot even begin to express how much I hate myself.'_ His head fell into his hands, and he wept. Women on the jury were crying; some of the men looked disgusted. It was all directed at him, a torrent of hate and judgment.

"I-I'm Haruhi Fujioka, and I've been called here today to testify." His head snapped up in shock. There she was, oh how it hurt to see her here. Takashi knew how much she was hurting as well. Her fingers were playing with her shirt, twisting it this way and that. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"T-Takashi is a good guy. I swear by it. He, umm he used to be my boyfriend, but that does to mean I will vouch for him. He did a terrible thing, and should do something about it. I don't agree that he should be sent to jail, because he's a good person. He just had a terrible reaction to something. But, he just needs to get some serious help."

Haruhi turned and looked at him. Her brown eyes welled up. "Takashi, please. Please get some help. That's all I can really ask of you now." She looked at the judge, paling. "I have nothing else to say." And with a gasp, she fainted on the spot, head hitting the wood. Takashi stood up, chair squealing back indignantly. "Haruhi!" he attempted to go over to her, but the guards jumped him.

"Haruhi, are you okay?" he asked from across the room. The guards wrestled him back down into his chair, holding him there. The other hosts were flitting around her, helping her up. It killed Takashi that he couldn't be over there helping her up. He wanted to be there with them, helping Haruhi get on her feet.

Tamaki propped her up, holding her. Her brown eyes flitted open, and she stared at him. Haruhi gave the blonde a wary smile. He returned it and something seemed to pass between them. Takashi didn't like it. The way her was looking at her was…..

It was bad.

The jury stood and left the room. All the hosts stood there awkwardly, avoiding looks. Haruhi sat down, hands in her lap. Takashi followed her every movement. _'Please look at me. Don't do this to me.' _Tears glistened in her eyes. Her hands fisted. Tamaki moved over to her, whispering something in her ear. She gave him that smile again, with her eyes filled with tears.

It was uncomfortable in that room. Takashi was almost grateful when the jury came back in. Then he saw their facial expressions. The women were still crying, and the men were impassive. The judge looked them each over in turn. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" A man stood. "We have, your Honor."

"We find the defendant….."

Takashi felt woozy.

"Guilty of attempted murder."

The room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. The judge shook his head sadly. "Very well. I sentence you, Takashi Morinozuka, to seven years in a federal prison." Takashi felt as if he was slipping off the edge of a giant cliff. Then, the world erupted in sounds and noise. He felt like he was fading.

'_How could this happen to me?'_

* * *

Haruhi let out a sob, pressing a tissue to her mouth. She hunched over herself, shaking. "Oh god." She couldn't stop the tears, no matter how fast they were wiped away. She was losing it. "Why?" she shouted amidst the din. Eventually, there were no more tears left. The girl began sobbing brokenly, throat raw.

She raised her head. Through her tears, she watched Takashi be led out of the room. This would be the last time she'd ever see him. Haruhi let out another cry. She became so hysterical that the judge began motioning for the guards. Tamaki grabbed her, pulling her gently to her feet.

Haruhi felt that the pain would never go. She couldn't take it. Collapsing completely, she became inconsolable. There was nothing left to live for anymore. She sobbed against Tamaki, hands fisting in his shirt. He held her tightly, rubbing her back, pushing her hair back. "I'm sorry, Haruhi. I'm so sorry."

She screamed, and suddenly the world went black. Haruhi slipped off the edge into oblivion.

* * *

Haruhi awoke in a dim room. The single window was open, spreading sunlight across the sheets. She blinked. This was the hospital. That's where she was. She felt drugged. Probably was. Yep, she'd caused such a scene they'd had to drug her. The girl sighed.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki poked his head in. She smiled again. It seemed to be the only thing she could do with him. "Are you okay?" Haruhi nodded, motioning for him to come sit down. Carefully, the blonde sat on the bed and held her hand. Again, they smiled at each other. They had a strange relationship.

Tamaki was there because Haruhi needed him. No one else could make her feel better. After the incident, she had contemplated suicide. Tamaki was the only reason she hadn't done it. She couldn't live without him. It was more of a friendship, but Haruhi had never felt so vulnerable.

"Thank you for everything." His violet eyes widened. "You're the best guy I've ever met. Thank you." He smiled at her again. "Oh come on, what about your dad?" Haruhi giggled a little. "Maybe not." They hugged each other.

As they moved back, Haruhi kissed his cheek. Tamaki blushed furiously. "What was that for?" And to that, she said, "For being with me."

'_Goodbye, Takashi Morinozuka. Now we can both move on. You're free.' _

* * *

Thanks for everything.

Love,

Bailey


	11. Final Author's Note

The Only Exception is the sequel. You can find it on my profile.

-Danielle


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